Vol. 494 No. 5
111 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to pay the three waiting days of disability benefit to applicants who are in receipt of payment for more than 14 days; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18799/98]
Waiting days have been a feature of the disability benefit scheme since its inception and are a feature of similar social security schemes in many countries.
The principal reason for the application of a three waiting day period is to avoid the disproportionately high administrative costs which would be involved in processing disability benefit claims of a very short duration. As many employers have occupational sick pay arrangements which provide compensation for employees for short spells of incapacity, the waiting day rule also serves to reduce the overlap between State and occupational sick pay provision.
In addition, it can reasonably be expected that most workers would be able to absorb the loss of the first three days earnings without suffering undue hardship. However, where a person has a subsequent spell of incapacity in quick succession, then the three waiting day rule is waived.
112 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to increase the fuel allowance to cover the cost of a bag of coal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18800/98]
The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A payment of £5 per week, £8 per week in smokeless zones, is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks from mid October to mid April.
It is estimated that increasing the basic allowance by £1 per week would cost £7.6 million. Any increase in the rate of payment would have significant cost implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context, taking increases in primary weekly payment rates into account.
Expenditure on the national fuel scheme has increased by approximately 20 per cent in the last five years from £37.5 million in 1993 to £45 million in 1997. This year a sum of £45.2 million has been provided in the Estimates for the scheme.
114 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to extend the right to payment for dependants who are in full-time education up to the age of 21 to those who are in receipt of disability and invalidity pensions to bring them in line with recipients of assistance payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18802/98]
Child dependant allowances are payable in respect of all children up to the age of 18 years. Where a claimant is in receipt of a long-term social welfare payment, child dependant allowances are payable where children are in full-time education up to the age of 22 years, or up to the end of the academic year after the 22nd birthday. This applies to long-term payments, including invalidity pension, only; it does not apply to short-term payments such as disability benefit, unemployment benefit, and short-term unemployment assistance.
The more favourable treatment of people on long-term payments is in recognition of the fact that families with children on long-term payments face a higher risk of poverty.
117 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to increase the funeral and burial grants payable in view of the escalating costs of funerals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18806/98]
The death grant is a social insurance benefit which is payable, subject to certain PRSI contribution conditions, on the death of an insured person, or on the death of the spouse, widow, widower or child of an insured person under 18 years. The purpose of the grant is to help with funeral and other post-bereavement expenses.
There are other measures in place, which are designed to assist people in the immediate after-math of bereavement. For example, where a person dies while in receipt of a social welfare payment, the payment usually continues to be paid to his or her qualified adult for six weeks. In addition, payment may also continue for six weeks after the death of an adult or child dependant.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance, a health board may make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his/her weekly income. These payments, known as exceptional needs payments, may be made towards funeral expenses where it is established that there is an inability to meet the costs by the family concerned. The present arrangements are being examined and any proposals in this regard would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
