Vol. 486 No. 4
102 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the full year cost of the social welfare improvements announced in the budget; and the amount of money available to him for improvements in social welfare services including carer's allowance and the free schemes after the weekly rate increases, the child benefit increases and the family income supplement changes have been taken into account. [2886/98]
The 1998 budgetary allocation for the Department of Social, Communty and Family Affairs provides for increases in social welfare payments and other improvements amounting to £225 million in a full year. I propose to circulate a table showing the breakdown of these moneys.
Of the £225 million, just over £180 million was allocated to increases in weekly social welfare payments. Over £28 million was allocated to child benefit and £10 million to family income supplement. The total of these three items is £218 million; the remaining £7 million was allocated to other improvements to the social welfare code, including carers, free schemes, community and voluntary supports, and a substantial increase in funding for family services.
In line with commitments made in An Action Programme for the Millennium and in the Partnership 2000 agreement, the Government placed particular emphasis on improving the weekly social welfare payment rates. The maximum rate of all pensions for people over 66 was increased by £5 as a significant first step towards meeting the commitment to increase the old age contributory pension to £100 per week over the five year period of this Government. Furthermore, a £3 increase was awarded to weekly personal rates of payment for people under 66. This increase is substantially above the expected rate of inflation. When these rate increases come into effect in June 1998, all but two social welfare rates will have exceeded the target recommended by the Commission on Social Welfare.
Carers benefited from these rate increases along with other groups. As well as providing for the general £3 increase in the weekly rate of payment for the carer's allowance, and the extra £2 increase for those aged 66 and over, I have also made the following three improvements in the carer's allowance scheme: 1. the introduction of a disregard of non-national disability pensions; 2. the introduction of six weeks payment after death to carers whose spouse was not in receipt of a social welfare payment; and the provision of a free travel pass to carers in receipt of carer's allowance. All carers will benefit from this measure at an annual cost of £0.6 million.
|
Full Year Cost |
|
|
£m |
|
|
1. Increase in weekly rates of payment |
180.66 |
|
2. Child and Family Income Support |
38.27 |
|
3. Employment Supports |
0.32 |
|
4. Disability Allowance |
0.50 |
|
5. Free Schemes |
0.50 |
|
6. Carers |
0.60 |
|
7. Means Test |
0.03 |
|
8. Family Services |
3.10 |
|
9. Voluntary and Community Services |
1.02 |
|
Total |
225.00 |
103 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of unemployment assistance and on long-term unemployment assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2852/98]
104 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the total numbers of persons on unemployment assistance who are under 22, under 30, under 40, under 50 and over 50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2853/98]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 103 and 104 together.
The total number of unemployment assistance claimants on the live register at the end of December 1997 was 159,825, a decrease of 27,091 or 14.5 per cent over the December 1996 figure of 186,916.
|
Age |
Short-term |
Long-term |
Total |
|
Under 20 |
8,825 |
2,448 |
11,273 |
|
20-24 |
17,800 |
14,312 |
32,112 |
|
25-34 |
18,721 |
27,391 |
46,112 |
|
35-44 |
11,218 |
24,869 |
36,087 |
|
45-54 |
7,237 |
21,461 |
28,698 |
|
55-59 |
2,141 |
4,812 |
6,953 |
|
60-64 |
957 |
1,823 |
2,780 |
|
Total |
66,899 |
97,116 |
164,015 |
105 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the total number of persons on disability benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2854/98]
The total number of people in receipt of disability benefit at the end of December 1997 was 40,236. This figure continues the decreasing trend in the number of disability benefit recipients over the last ten years.
The figures in the following table show a decrease in the number of recipients from 61,967 in 1988 to 40,236 in 1997, a decrease of 35 per cent. The vast majority — approximately 80 per cent of disability benefit claims are for a duration of less than eight weeks.
Number of Recipients of Disability Benefit 1988-1997 (end of year figures)
|
Year |
Recipients |
|
1988 |
61,967 |
|
1989 |
55,521 |
|
1990 |
52,765 |
|
1991 |
49,726 |
|
1992 |
47,733 |
|
1993 |
43,924 |
|
1994 |
41,869 |
|
1995 |
41,830 |
|
1996 |
42,460 |
|
1997 |
40,236 |
106 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the total number of persons who, by age, qualify for old age pension but fail to qualify due to insufficiency of contributions during their working lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2855/98]
In 1997, a total of 2,691 persons failed to qualify for the full rate old age contributory pension due to an insufficiency of contributions during their working lives. The majority of applicants were rejected on the basis of an insufficient yearly average number of contributions. However, 209 — 8 per cent — of these individuals may qualify for a reduced rate pension.
To qualify for the old age contributory pension, a person must have entered insurance at least ten years before pension age, have at least 156 contributions paid and have a yearly average of at least 20 contributions registered since January 1953, when the unified system of social insurance came into effect, or the time they started insurable employment, if later.
A new pro rata old age — contributory — pension was introduced with effect from 21 November 1997. The yearly average condition was reduced to ten contributions. A pro rata pension is payable depending on the yearly average number of contributions. To qualify a person with a yearly average of between ten and 19 must have 260 rather than 156 paid contributions.
While it is estimated that approximately 8,500 people will benefit immediately from the new provisions, some 1,300 persons will benefit every year thereafter. These will include categories such as women who have spent long periods outside the paid workforce and who do not benefit from the 1994 homemaker's provisions; returned emigrants who entered the workforce here for a short spell before working abroad for a long period and who then returned to take up employment here; and people who entered social insurance at an early stage and then became self-employed for a long period before the extension of social insurance to the self-employed in 1988.
107 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs whether he will expand the scheme of pro-rata old age pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2856/98]
From 21 November last new pro rata pensions were introduced so that people who pay social insurance for a reasonable period of time will qualify for an old age — contributory — pension. A yearly average of between 15 and 19 contributions gives a pension of 75 per cent of the maximum rate, while an average of between ten and 14 gives a pension of 50 per cent of the maximum rate. To qualify a person also needs to have a minimum of 260 paid contributions. This measure will be of benefit to many self-employed contributors and to those, mainly women, who took time-out of the paid workforce for family reasons.
