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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 Apr 1995

Vol. 451 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.

Joe Walsh

Question:

104 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown and explanation of the payments which have and will be made in respect of a woman on unemployment benefit where between December 1984 and the end of 1986 the husband was on unemployment benefit; the husband was at work and there were three dependent children; and the cumulative payment which will result from failure to introduce equal treatment in December 1984. [7082/95]

I am introducing arrangements to give full effect to the recent decision of the High Court on equal treatment. The entitlements of married women in the period of delay in implementing EC Directive 79/7 will be determined on the basis of the rules applied to married men during that period. The amounts payable to the estimated 70,000 married women involved will consist, where appropriate, of increases in respect of adult and child dependants and unemployment assistance. In addition, they may also qualify for transitional payments as provided for in the court's decision. Compensation will be payable based on the increase in the consumer price index from the date of entitlement to the various payments from December 1984 onwards, to the date on which the payments are made. Consequently, the amounts now payable to the married women concerned will be the same in real terms as those paid to married men at that time, irrespective of whether the woman's husband was in employment or receiving a social welfare payment in his own right.

During the period of delay in implementing the directive, the weekly rates of unemployment benefit varied in relation to the number of contributions paid by the claimant. The amounts now payable will be net of any arrears already paid to the wife under the provisions of the European Communities (Social Welfare) Regulations, 1992, introduced in June 1992. Under these regulations, for example where the husband was in employment, the wife would already have received payment of half the child dependant increases and will now be paid the other half of the increase for child dependants.

I might mention that the maximum duration of entitlement to unemployment benefit is 15 months and it would not be possible, therefore, for a claimant to have qualified for benefit on a continuous basis for the duration referred to by the Deputy. The process of determining the amount payable in each individual instance is quite complex. An explanatory leaflet setting down details of the arrangements will shortly be issued to all those who received payments in 1992-93 under the regulations and I am arranging to have a copy sent to the Deputy.

Eamon Walsh

Question:

105 Mr. E. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether women who are on deserted wife's benefit who wish to gain access to community employment schemes by switching to means-tested lone parent's allowance will be allowed to go back to claiming deserted wife's benefit when their scheme is finished; whether women currently on community employment schemes in receipt of deserted wife's benefit will continue to receive full deserted wife's benefit for the duration of the scheme; whether such women will continue to receive full deserted wife's benefit should they gain a year or more continuance on the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7088/95]

Criteria for participation in community employment schemes are a matter for the Department of Enterprise and Employment, in conjunction with FÁS. People in receipt of contributory based social welfare schemes such as deserted wife's benefit are not generally considered eligible for community employment under the criteria laid down by that Department. However, as lone parent's allowance is a recognised payment for receipt of community employment, my Department facilitates people wishing to avail of community employment by transferring them to that allowance where appropriate.

People who transfer from deserted wife's benefit to lone parent's allowance in order to avail of community employment will be allowed to revert to their previous payment when their community employment scheme finishes, provided they still satisfy the conditions for receipt of deserted wife's benefit and they should check that this will be the case before switching.

Participating in a community employment scheme is not a disqualification for deserted wife's benefit and a person's deserted wife's benefit would not be affected in these circumstances. Similarly, an extension of the duration of a community employment scheme for an existing recipient of deserted wife's benefit would not affect their entitlement.

I am arranging for my Department to contact the Department of Enterprise and Employment to review the eligibility criteria for community employment in the case of people in receipt of payments, such as deserted wife's benefit. The position of such women in relation to community employment will be kept in mind also in framing the proposed new lone parent's scheme announced in this year's budget.

Noel Ahern

Question:

106 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of the 60,000 persons or households who are currently ineligible for consideration for the free schemes who are under the exemption limit for income tax in view of his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 106 of 23 March 1995; and the annual cost of extending the schemes to these persons on the same terms and conditions as apply to those currently eligible. [7107/95]

On the basis of estimates supplied by the Revenue Commissioners, it is estimated that of the order of 10 per cent of the 60,000 persons or households referred to by the Deputy would be exempt from income tax. On that basis, the annual cost of extending the free schemes to that group, excluding free travel which is available to all residents of the State 66 years of age or over, on the same terms and conditions as currently apply would be about £1.6 million.

Noel Ahern

Question:

107 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare the numbers and cost involved if free scheme benefits such as free bus passes were given to persons on sickness pensions from semi-State bodies. [7108/95]

The free schemes administered by my Department include free travel, free electricity allowance, free natural gas allowance, free telephone rental allowance and free television licence. They are available, in the case of free travel, to all persons in the State aged 66 years and over and to certain disabled people under age 66 and, in the case of the other schemes, to persons who are in receipt of a welfare type payment and who are either living alone or who otherwise satisfy the living alone condition.

The Department does not have statistics on the number of invalided pensioners of semi-State bodies. However, based on the national proportion of such pensioners in the insured population as a whole it is estimated that approximately 1,000 additional people might benefit at a cost of about £330,000 a year, on the basis of extending the free schemes on the same terms and conditions as currently apply.

Michael McDowell

Question:

108 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the review regarding regulations for qualifying conditions and eligibility for refund of old age pension contributions will be completed by his Department; when a decision will be made in respect of persons likely to be affected by the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7115/95]

The regulations dealing with refunds are under review within my Department at present and I hope to have this review completed within the next four months.

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