Vol. 436 No. 2
19 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he proposes to reverse the situation whereby persons under 55 years of age who become redundant with a £12,000 or more payment are disqualified from unemployment benefit for nine weeks.
With effect from July 1992 the circumstances in which a claimant may be disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit for a number of weeks were broadened to include people under 55 years of age who, on termination of employment, receive severance payments in excess of a prescribed amount.
20 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will review the decision to restrict supplementary welfare support for electricity bills in view of the hardship the decision is causing.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, health boards may make a payment to meet an exceptional need to people who are in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment. The determination of applications for assistance is a matter for the relevant health board.
I announced recently details of a new code or practice to assist people on social welfare payments who, because of exceptional circumstances, encounter difficulty in meeting their ESB or natural gas bills. The code replaces the 1992 circulars on this matter which I withdrew on 1 June, 1993. The code of practice involves the health boards, the ESB and Bord Gáis Éireann in a co-ordinated response to assist people with such difficulties.
21 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will have a cost/benefit study commissioned from the ESRI on the possible public savings in hospital and nursing home care that would come from an improvement in means test for the carer's allowance for those looking after elderly people at home.
37 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on whether the carer's allowance has enormous potential; and if he will review the carer's allowance payments with the Minister for Health with a view to a new carer's allowance scheme, that would appeal to a broader group of carers and encourage people to remain in the community and avail of full time care and attention rather than availing of long stay nursing care in hospital or private nursing homes.
55 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will abolish the means test on applications for the carer's allowance in cases where the sole income is unemployment assistance or dependent on spouses rate of unemployment assistance.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 21, 37 and 55 together.
23 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a social welfare recipient is permitted to participate in the home help scheme without affecting their social welfare benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
60 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will allow home helps who are claiming unemployment assistance to engage in home help duties without interfering with their dole in view of the fact that the remuneration per hour is negligible and that they are engaged in carrying out humanitarian works.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 60 together.
Unemployment assistance is not payable in respect of any day during which a person is engaged in insurable employment under a contract of service irrespective of the extent of the employment or wages paid. Accordingly, people employed as home helps by the health board, being in insurable employment under a contract of service, would not be entitled to unemployment assistance for days during which they were so employed. If unemployed for at least three days in every period of six consecutive days, a person could qualify for assistance for the days not worked subject to satisfying the means test.
The 1991 Social Welfare Act provided for the exclusion from means assessment of income from employment of a casual nature by a health board as a home help. Accordingly, a person claiming unemployment assistance who is employed as a home help on a part-time basis will not be assessed with any means from these earnings; neither will a person be assessed with means arising from income earned by a spouse employed as a home help.
I am considering the treatment of home helps generally under the social welfare system. However, the payment of unemployment assistance to home helps on the days on which they are working would have implications for the treatment of part-time workers generally within the system.
24 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of widowers in the State; if he proposes to introduce a widower's pension; and the projected cost of introducing such a scheme.
72 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a widower does not qualify for a widowers pension, whereas a widow in similar circumstances qualifies for widows pension; the plans, if any, he has to introduce contributory widowers pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 72 together.
The 1991 State Census shows that there are 37,939 widowers in Ireland, of whom 28,916 are age 65 or over. Widowers at age 65 are eligible for the retirement pension subject to the normal conditions. At age 66 they are entitled to either the old age contributory or non-contributory pension — again subject to the normal conditions. Widowers with children are eligible for the lone parent's allowance.
According to the 1991 State Census there are 9,023 widowers aged under 65. There were 689 widowers in receipt of the lone parent's allowance in 1992.
The question of extending social insurance cover to widowers generally arises for consideration in the context of further extension of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in the social security system.
It is estimated that the cost of extending to widowers the present social insurance arrangements for widows would be around £25 million in a full year.
The question of social insurance cover for widowers is being examined by the national pensions board in the context of its proposals for a new national pensions system. I expect to receive the board's report very shortly.
26 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give the categories considered to be local enterprises for the purpose of employers availing of the back to work allowance.
28 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of applicants nationwide who have applied and been approved for the back to work allowance scheme; the role, if any, for FÁS in this scheme; and the reason for discontinuing the public advertisements of the scheme.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 28 together.
The back to work allowance scheme was introduced for the purpose of encouraging the creation of new job opportunities for both the unemployed and lone parents. It allows them retain a proportion of their entitlements, including secondary benefits, for two years while engaged in paid employment or self-employment.
I am confident that this pilot scheme will encourage growth in industries identified in the Culliton report as having potential for expansion. It will also provide additional incentives to the unemployed and lone parents to explore new types of employment and self-employment opportunities.
The response to the scheme has been positive. More than 1,700 inquiries have been received to date from employers, the unemployed and lone parents.
Self-employment proposals have been received from 150 unemployed people and 130 of these are now in receipt of allowance. Information on the scheme has also been issued to 2,000 employers. Applications have already been received from over 100 employers offering 255 jobs.
My Department is adopting a flexible, pro-active and supportive approach to the new scheme. Definitions of the qualifying categories included in the term "local enterprises" will not be finalised until a detailed assessment of interest and precise needs is possible. In the interim, any proposals put forward by employers to create new or additional employment opportunities in the broad sectors covered by the scheme will be considered. At this juncture the only rigid test is that they would not displace jobs in a similar activity in the locality.
