Vol. 494 No. 4
361 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to increase the disabled person's maintenance allowance as part of the 1998 budget proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18566/98]
The 1998 budget provided for an increase of £5 per week in the maximum personal rates of payment for all pensioners aged 66 and over, with all other social welfare recipients receiving a general increase of £3. These improvements, representing increases of between 4.2 per cent and 7.4 per cent, mean that payments to over 797,900 recipients — 93.5 per cent — including recipients of disability allowance, are about or above the minimum Commission on Social Welfare recommended rates.
The question of future increases in social welfare payments, including increases for recipients of disability allowance, is a matter for consideration by the Government in a budgetary context in the light of available resources and having regard to the commitments contained in the Government programme, An Action Programme for the Millennium, Partnership 2000 and the national anti-poverty strategy.
362 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on whether it is unfair that free travel is unavailable to those who have to retire from the public service on grounds of ill health in the same way that free travel is available to those who qualify for invalidity pension; the estimated cost of extending the scheme to this category; and the plans, if any, he has to remove this anomaly and extend the scheme accordingly. [18341/98]
The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State, aged 66 years or over, and also to certain people with disabilities under that age who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. The scheme provides free travel, primarily at off-peak periods, to eligible people on the main public and private transport services. At the end of last June, free travel passes had been issued in respect of over 505,000 people at an estimated cost of £33 million.
To qualify for a free travel pass an applicant aged under 66 years must be in receipt of one of the following qualifying payments: invalidity pension; blind person's pension; disability allowance; carer's allowance; unemployability supplement or workmen's compensation supplement with disablement pension, for at least 12 months; or a social security invalidity/incapacity pension/ benefit, or an equivalent payment, for at least 12 months from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement. People, including public servants, suffering from ill-health who do not fulfil the necessary PRSI conditions will not qualify for invalidity pension. However, disability allowance is available to those, including public servants, who are medically suitable, aged between 16 and 66 years and satisfy a means test.
The cost of extending the free travel scheme to public servants who retire on grounds of ill health cannot be estimated, as statistics are not available. However, any extension to the free travel scheme would involve additional expenditure that could only be considered in a budgetary context.
