Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:142 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway is not entitled to free fuel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14941/95]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist people in receipt of long-term social welfare or health board payments who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. In the case of a contributory pensioner, one of the conditions is that the pensioner and members of the household, must not have a combined income greater than £10.00 per week in addition to the contributory pension.
The person concerned does not qualify for a fuel allowance as he is receipt of an occupational pension in excess of £10.00 a week in addition to his social welfare retirement pension.
The Deputy will be aware that, as part of this year's budget improvements in social welfare, the previous income limit for the fuel allowance was increased from £5 to its current level of £10 per week with effect from the start of this year's winter heating season in October.
I should remind the Deputy that there is a facility available to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. Under the supplementary welfare allowance — SWA — scheme a person who may have exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity may qualify for a heating allowance. If the Deputy feels that the person concerned may qualify for this allowance, an application may be made by contacting a community welfare officer at the local health centre.
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:143 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to change the conditions for entitlement to payment of unemployment benefit in order that a claimant should not have to have sustained a substantial loss of employment in any period of six consecutive days to get payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14331/95]
The legislative conditions governing entitlement to unemployment benefit were changed with effect from 4 January 1993 in the light of the extension of full social insurance cover at that time to all employed persons earning £25 a week or over. The purpose of the changes was to enable part-time workers to have access to unemployment benefit when the need arose.
The revised arrangements required that a part-time worker must have experienced a substantial loss of employment in order to be eligible for unemployment benefit. A claimant whose normal working week was four days, or more, had to have lost two days of insurable employment. In the case of claimants whose normal working week consisted of fewer than four days, a loss of one day of insurable employment was required.
However, those requirements have been considerably eased since their introduction in 1993. For example, with effect from March 1993, the rule relating to substantial loss of employment was amended to provide for a loss of only one day of insurable employment in order to meet the condition.
In August 1993, special arrangements for casual dockers affected by the substantial loss of employment condition were introduced. Dockers who were not entitled to unemployment benefit in any week, because they had not sustained a substantial loss of employment received special payments equal to what they would have received by way of unemployment benefit had the substantial loss of employment condition not been introduced.
The rules were further relaxed in September 1994 with the exemption of casual workers from the requirement to satisfy the substantial loss of employment condition. As well as dockers, the categories of worker covered by these regulations include employees in meat processing plants, the hotel business and the retail trade.
The impact of the substantial loss of employment condition is being kept under review.
Declan Bree
Question:144 Mr. Bree asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a claim for deserted wife's benefit submitted by a person (details supplied) in County Sligo in May 1995, will be decided upon; the normal period for having such a claim processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16836/95]
In order to establish entitlement to deserted wife's benefit, the deciding officer must be satisfied that the husband left his wife of his own volition and that she has made reasonable efforts to secure adequate maintenance from him.
It takes just over twelve weeks on average to decide claims to deserted wife's benefit at present. The time taken, of course, will vary having regard to the circumstances of particular cases and the extent to which the facts are disputed by the parties involved.
The person concerned applied for deserted wife's benefit in May 1995 and was interviewed by a local officer of the Department in June 1995. Information was sought from the husband in July on the circumstances relating to their separation and on his financial and current household circumstances, as he would be legally liable to contribute to the Department if his wife's claim is granted. The husband indicated that he was seeking legal advice before responding. He is being pursued for the information needed to decide the claim.
In the event of the husband refusing to co-operate, the case will still be decided if his wife makes efforts to obtain adequate maintenance from him by application to the District Court. She has been requested by the Department to do so and her entitlement will be decided as soon as she responds.