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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 13 Jun 1995

Vol. 454 No. 3

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Desmond J. O'Malley

Question:

66 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends to extend the free electricity scheme to all old-age pensioners. [10615/95]

Helen Keogh

Question:

72 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends to extend the free electricity scheme to all old age-pensioners. [10614/95]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 72 together.

The free electricity allowance scheme is one of the group of free schemes which includes the free natural gas allowance scheme, the free television licence scheme and the free telephone rental scheme which are available only to people who are in receipt of welfare type pensions and who satisfy the living alone conditions of those schemes. The purpose of the free schemes is to encourage elderly or disabled people, who are living alone on limited means, to continue to live in their own homes rather than go into residential care. About 200,000 people benefit from these schemes at present at an annual cost of £60 million.

The living alone conditions attached to these schemes allow certain people to live with the pensioner without affecting his entitlement. The excepted people include a dependent spouse, dependent children and a carer, in the case of an invalid. Where the pensioner is 75 years of age or over, the allowances continue in place where the living alone conditions cease to be satisfied because a non-excepted person moved in with the pensioner.

Any proposal to broaden the current application of the living alone condition or to abolish it altogether would have cost implications which could only be considered in the context of available resources and other priorities.

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