Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Seán Haughey
Question:
104
Mr. Haughey
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if supplementary welfare from the Health Boards for child-minding expenses is available to lone parents who are studying and continue to claim their allowance; if so, if he will extend the supplementary welfare scheme to claims for childminding expenses from other students claiming unemployment benefit but who are married or cohabiting, particularly in cases where both parents are students; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[3034/94]
Participants in "second chance" educational schemes for long term unemployed people and lone parents may continue to receive their normal full social welfare payment and retain a range of secondary benefits; however, there is no additional allowance payable towards the cost of child-minding expenses for such participants.
In exceptional circumstances health boards may assist with the cost of child minding. It is understood from the Eastern Health Board that such child-care is normally part-time and is provided by voluntary organisations as a support to mothers where there are serious social problems, for example, drug addiction.
I am very keen to offer lone parents or people in long term unemployment every chance to improve their skills and to return to the workforce. Earlier this year I made special arrangements under the lone parents allowance scheme to improve the overall net income position of lone parents who are in paid employment. From July 1994, up to £30 per week of a working lone parent's earnings is disregarded in assessing means for lone parents allowance. This exemption applies in addition to the long-standing arrangement whereby reasonable certified child-minding/ travel expenses are disregarded when calculating a working parent's entitlement to lone parents allowance. Only half of the balance of the lone parent's earnings are assessed as means.
In 1993, grants totalling £117,000 were given by the Department of Social Welfare to 35 voluntary and community organisations around the country for projects aimed at helping lone parents to get back into the workforce or participate in "second chance" education. Some of the projects funded that year included the provision of creche facilities for young mothers attending educational courses. This year a sum of £200,000 has been allocated for this purpose.
The provision of special assistance towards the cost of child-minding facilities for lone parents and people in receipt of unemployment payments who are participating in "second chance" education schemes, would have financial implications which could be considered only in a budgetary context.
Avril Doyle
Question:
105
Mrs. Doyle
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if he will extend the Christmas bonus to recipients of disability benefit who had been recipients of longterm unemployment assistance before their illness or disablement and who in many cases are now receiving less on disability benefit than they had been on unemployment assistance.
[3078/94]
A recipient of unemployment assistance at the long term rate can claim disability benefit in the event of illness. However, disability benefit is a short term payment and is not, therefore, eligible for payment of the Christmas bonus. Last July, the weekly rate of disability benefit was brought into line with that applying to long term unemployment assistance, that is, £61 per week personal rate.
Payment of a Christmas bonus this year of 70 per cent of normal weekly payments has been approved by the Government. There will be a minimum payment of £20 and, in all, over 1.2 million people will benefit (733,000 recipients and their 488,000 dependants) at an estimated cost of £37.4 million.
The Christmas bonus was introduced originally in 1980 for elderly and other pensioners. It was subsequently extended to include long term unemployed people in receipt of the long term rate of unemployment assistance. People in receipt of invalidity pension are also covered for the bonus. Any further extension of the Christmas bonus to other categories of recipients would have considerable cost implications and would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:
106
Ms F. Fitzgerald
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if he will extend the special arrangements which he introduced recently to ensure that homemakers do not suffer a loss of pension entitlement because of time spent full time at home looking after a child, or caring full time for an elderly or incapacitated person, to those women who withdrew from the workforce to care for their families, and subsequently returned to work but now, having reached pension age, find they do not have the required average of 20 social welfare payments per year necessary to qualify for a contributory old age pension.
[3140/94]
The special arrangements which I introduced for homemakers are designed to ensure that such homemakers do not suffer a loss of pension entitlement because of time spent full time at home looking after a child, or caring full time for an elderly or incapacitated person.
From 6 April 1994, time spent working in the home rearing young children up to 6 years of age or caring for incapacitated people will be disregarded in determining entitlement to Old Age (Contributory) Pension. A maximum of 20 years may be disregarded. I am examining the possibility of further improving these proposals in the context of next year's budget.
The National Pensions Board in its final reportDeveloping the National Pension System considered the issue of gaps in insurance and recommended, inter alia, that a wider range of pro-rata pensions related to the average number of contributions over an insured lifetime, where for example an average of 45 or over would qualify a person for the maximum rate of pension while a minimum 30 per cent of full rate pension would be payable for an average of 10 to 14 contributions. They also recommended that the number of paid contributions to qualify for retirement and old age contributory pension be increased to 520 contributions (10 years), which would then represent 20 per cent of the potential maximum number of contributions which could be registered.
The report and the recommendations are at present being studied within my Department and I intend, in due course, to bring forward proposals on the issues addressed in the report. I am concerned about the situation of these older women, whose families are reared and those who have already retired and are classed as dependants of their husbands — qualifying for an extra allowance on his pension, which, in today's terms amounts to 70 per cent approximately of a personal entitlement.
I would like to see greater progress towards providing these women with their own separate entitlement to a pension on retirement. Full equality, I believe, demands a recognition of their work in the home and their own separate entitlement to pensions on retirement and I intend pursuing proposals towards this end.
Eric J. Byrne
Question:
107
Mr. E. Byrne
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if old age pensioners with free travel can use Dublin buses before 7 a.m.; the reason there is a charge for the first 20 miles for travellers with passes using Bus Éireann long distance buses on Fridays between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.; if he will abolish this restriction; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[3152/94]
The free travel scheme is intended to encourage elderly people to remain active in the community by giving them access to spare capacity on the various public transport systems. Expenditure on the free travel scheme will amount to almost £30 million this year and will benefit some 440,000 people. Time restrictions have been a feature of the free travel scheme since its inception and are necessary on city routes because the services concerned are under severe pressure from commuters travelling to or from work or school in the morning and evening and they would be unable to cope with the additional volume of passengers arising if the restrictions did not apply.
In the case of city bus services for Dublin, Cork and Limerick provided by Bus Átha Cliath or Bus Éireann, free travel is not available from 7 a.m. to 9.45 a.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. each day from Monday to Friday. There are no restrictions on passholders travelling on Dublin Bus services before 7 a.m. In the case of Bus Éireann long distance buses, the time restriction is limited to Fridays only from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. when passholders must pay for up to the first 20 miles outside Dublin, Cork or Limerick.
Time restrictions do not, however, apply in the case of mentally-handi-capped people, people attending long term rehabilitation courses or certain other disabled or blind people.
Representations are made to me from time to time to reduce or abolish the current time restrictions. Any change is likely to have significant cost implications for the carriers involved who in turn would be seeking compensation from my Department.
