Seán Haughey
Question:597 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will reduce the age of qualification for free travel to 60 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1020/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Ivan Yates
Question:600 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when the review in relation to the free schemes will be completed; if superannuation contributory pensioners in the public sector will be considered for some of these free schemes as part of this review; the interim findings, if any, in relation to this review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1284/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 597 and 600 together.
The free travel scheme is available to all people resident in the State aged 66 years or over, to carers in receipt of carer's allowance, to carers of people in receipt of prescribed relatives and constant attendance allowance and also to people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments.
The general purpose of the free travel scheme is to assist and encourage older people to remain active in the community. There would be significant costs involved in extending the free travel scheme generally to people aged 60 to 66.
The other free schemes such as free electricity allowance, free TV licence and free telephone rental allowance are generally available to older people and people with disabilities who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and are living alone or with certain excepted people.
Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes retain that entitlement.
The free schemes are also available to low-income pensioners who are not in receipt of a social welfare type pension and who satisfy a means-test. The weekly means income limit fixed for this purpose is the maximum personal rate of old age contributory pension, which is currently £89.00 for a recipient aged 66 to 79 years, and £94.00 for a recipient aged 80 years or over plus £30.00; plus any increases for adult or child dependants or for living alone.
Budget 2000 made provision for the extension of the free schemes to all persons aged 75 years and over, regardless of their income and household composition. In addition, the free electricity allowance and free television licence will be extended to all carers in receipt of the carer's allowance and to carers who are caring for people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relatives allowance, thereby qualifying the group of carers for all free schemes. Both of these measures will be implemented from October 2000.
A fundamental review of the free schemes of this Department is being carried out to assess whether the objectives of these schemes are being achieved in the most efficient and effective manner. This includes an examination of the qualifying conditions for the schemes, the target groups and the scope for alternative policy arrangements. The issue of extending the free schemes to retired public servants is being examined in the review.
The review of the free schemes is being carried out by an official of my Department on secondment, as a visiting research fellow at the Policy Institute, Trinity College, Dublin. It is expected that the research conducted will be formally published by the Policy Institute in the "Trinity Studies in Public Policy" series in March 2000.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:598 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 684 of 29 September 1999, the reason part two of the reply gives incorrect information in view of the fact that the persons concerned contacted the VTOS in Leixlip in relation to a Montessori training course and eventually had to pay to obtain a training place of an education and retraining nature; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1038/00]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:605 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the current position regarding the unemployment benefit claim of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [1489/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 598 and 605 together.
The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance from May 1991 to June 1999 when her claim was disallowed on the grounds that she was not genuinely seeking full time work.
Notification of the decision and her right to appeal issued on 10 June 1999. However, no appeal was made in this case.
The person concerned was in touch with the jobs facilitator in May 1999 and was given details of various training courses available locally. She did not subsequently submit any evidence of her efforts to obtain a place on a course or provide any other relevant information. The Department has had no contact with the claimant in regard to this matter and the information provided to the previous reply was correct.
There is no record of any claim having been made for unemployment benefit by the person concerned in the past eight months.
Michael Ring
Question:599 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive a farm assist payment in view of the change in his circumstances. [1248/00]
A decision on the farm assist application from the person concerned was issued to him on 2 December 1999. A deciding officer assessed his weekly means at £151 from 8 December 1999, derived from income from a holding. This assessment exceeds the maximum weekly rate of farm assist payable, which in his case is £73.50. The person concerned is not, therefore, entitled to payment of farm assist.
The person concerned appealed this decision and his case has been referred to the social welfare inspector for further inquiries. On completion of these inquiries his appeal will be finalised as quickly as possible.
John Gormley
Question:601 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on whether secondary benefits, for example, rent allowance, should be increased substantially as part of the back to work allowance for families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1378/00]
Under the current arrangements, long-term unemployed people who avail of the back-to-work allowance scheme can retain their secondary benefits, including the rent supplement paid under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, provided that the gross household weekly income does not exceed £250. The maximum rent supplement payable is £250 per month.
Budget 2000 provides for two important improvements in these arrangements. First, the back-to-work allowance payments and family income supplement payments will be disregarded for the purposes of the weekly £250 gross household income limit. Second, the maximum rent supplement payment of £250 per month is being abolished in favour of a tapered withdrawal of the supplement over a four-year period, with 75% of the claimants previous entitlement being paid in the first year of participation in the scheme, and 50%, 25% and 25% being paid in the subsequent three years.
These measures will come into effect from early April. They will ensure that more scheme participants will be enabled to qualify for retention of secondary benefits and that in the case of families with children, substantially increased supports will be provided in the critical early years of transition from unemployment to employment.