Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 23 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 1

Written Answers - Social Welfare Benefits.

Ivan Yates

Question:

68 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review and rectify the anomaly in relation to farmers who are on unemployment assistance or disability allowance in relation to the rural environment protection scheme whereby, for the means test for unemployment assistance, REPS payments are disregarded whereas someone in the same financial circumstances for a disability allowance means test, and who is also ill, has the full REPS payment assessed as means; if he will give the same favourable treatment to people on disability allowance as those on small farmers assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9690/98]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

In assessing means for social assistance purposes, account is taken of the value of any capital or investments, together with any cash income that the person has.

Over the years, different methods of assessing capital and income have applied in the case of the various social assistance schemes. Some of these differences are designed to achieve specific policy objectives. For instance, in recognition of the special contribution which carers make to our society, the carer's allowance scheme provides for a substantial disregard of £150 a week in the amount of income which the spouse of a recipient may have, without affecting the carer's entitlement. However, it is recognised that there is a need to standardise many of the different methods of calculating means to achieve greater equity within the system. In this regard considerable progress has already been made in the area of the standardising the assessment of capital. The question of standardising the various earnings disregards, including the REPS payment disregards, which are currently confined to unemployment assistance, pre-retirement allowance and old age non-contributory pension, is being examined by my Department. However, any extension of current disregards to new categories of recipients would have financial implications and would, therefore, have to be considered in a budgetary context.