Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Mar 1995

Vol. 450 No. 8

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefit.

Dermot Ahern

Question:

87 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the anomaly in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Louth with reference to the disabled person's maintenance allowance payment to the person which has been substantially reduced in view of the fact that his spouse handed back her carer's allowance book and took up employment; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that his wife's full earnings under this employment, which comes to £100, were taken into account when assessing the claimant's entitlement to disabled person's maintenance allowance which is now £10.80 per week, making a total family income of £110.80 per week, whereas if the wife stayed on the carer's allowance he would receive no reduction in his disabled person's maintenance allowance thereby having a total family income of £131.20; and if he will make a statement on the matter with regard to this obvious lack of incentive to work. [6189/95]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Disabled person's maintenance allowance — DMPA — is the primary income support scheme operated by the health boards for people who, because of their disability, cannot work and are not in a position to maintain themselves in the community. The current maximum personal rate of disabled person's maintenance allowance is £61 per week.

Under section 69 of the Health Act, 1970, health boards, in assessing eligibility for disabled person's maintenance allowance, are obliged to have regard to the means of both the applicant and his-her spouse. In the case referred to by the Deputy where the spouse was in receipt of the carer's allowance from the Department of Social Welfare, this allowance is disregarded by health boards when means testing for payment of disabled person's maintenance allowance. However, as the spouse in this case has surrendered the carer's allowance and taken up employment, the income from this employment would be taken into account in assessing the amount of disabled person's maintenance allowance payable.

This case highlights the differences in the assessment of a spouse's income for disabled person's maintenance allowance and social assistance schemes. As the Deputy is no doubt aware, responsibility for the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme is being transferred from my Department to the Department of Social Welfare from 1 July 1995. I will draw this difference in assessment to the attention of my colleague, the Minister for Social Welfare.