Vol. 465 No. 7
16 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he intends to extend eligibility for butter vouchers to people in receipt of contributory widows and old-age pensions and who are also entitled to a free fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8079/96]
There are no plans to extend the scope of the butter vouchers scheme to include insurance-based payments such as contributory widow's pension and old age contributory pension.
The scheme is funded by the European Commission and runs for two years at a time. Any decision about its renewal is made at European Union level. The Department of Agriculture has overall responsibility for its operation in Ireland while my Department acts as "scheme agent" for the distribution of the vouchers.
