Michael D. Higgins
Question:257 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to extend travel concessions to EU pensioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14249/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
A review of the free schemes, including the free travel scheme, was recently published by the policy institute, Trinity College, Dublin. It considered that the main objective of the free travel scheme is to encourage older people and people with disabilities to remain independent and active within the community, thereby reducing the need for institutional care.
The review examined the issue of extending the free travel scheme to EU pensioners visiting Ireland and concluded that such an extension of the scheme would not be in keeping with the objective of the scheme.
I am currently examining all the issues raised and proposals made in this report with a view to bringing forward proposals in the course of a budgetary context.
Dinny McGinley
Question:258 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if it is his intention to introduce a special island allowance for social welfare recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14321/00]
The possibility of introducing a special island allowance for social welfare claimants whose permanent place of residence is on an offshore island has been raised with me on a number of occasions.
The implications of introducing such a measure would need to be examined carefully and this will be explored by my Department in the coming months. There are a number of potential difficulties with such a scheme, including the appropriateness of having different rates of welfare payments depending on the claimant's place of permanent residence, having regard to the requirement to treat all welfare claimants in an equitable manner. While it can be argued that islanders live in particularly isolated circumstances, with associated costs in terms of travel, access to goods at cheaper prices and so on, the same is true of other parts of rural Ireland. Other difficulties include the potential employment disincentive impact of such an allowance; and the costs involved.
In addition, any examination would need to take account of issues such as whether such an allowance would be payable to all welfare claimants or confined, for instance, to claimants of social welfare pensions, and the manner in which increases in respect of qualified adults and dependent children would be treated.
Noel Ahern
Question:259 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will clarify the situation in relation to persons over 80 on State or semi-State pensions who will qualify for the free schemes from October 2000 and confirm that they are recognised by his Department; if such persons will qualify for the living alone allowance and a free fuel allowance; and if a per son (details supplied) qualifies for a free fuel allowance. [14446/00]
As announced in budget 2000, from October, all persons over age 75 years will be entitled to the free schemes, that is, free electricity-gas allowance, free television licence and free telephone rental allowance, regardless of income or household circumstances.
These free schemes are already 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, currently £96 for a recipient aged 66 to 79 years and £101 for a recipient aged 80 years or over, plus £30, plus any increases for a qualified adult, dependent children, living alone, as appropriate. My Department will be in touch with the person concerned to advise him of his possible entitlement on this basis.
The living alone allowance is payable to people of pensionable age who are in receipt of certain social welfare type payments and is intended to recognise the extra cost of living alone.
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.
The conditions that apply to the national fuel scheme require that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and satisfy the living alone condition.
The person concerned is not in receipt of a qualifying payment and, accordingly, is not entitled to a fuel allowance.
Noel Ahern
Question:260 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will clarify the position in relation to the pre-1953 contributions in respect of whether a person on a reduced United Kingdom pension but not in receipt of an Irish social welfare pension would qualify if he or she had the required stamps; and if a person on a United Kingdom pension of £35 a month and with some but insufficient pre-1953 stamps could forfeit his United Kingdom and apply for a pre-1953 pension of £48 on the combined strength of his pre-1953 stamps and past-1953 United Kingdom stamps. [14447/00]
In this year's budget, I announced the introduction of a half rate old age contributory pension for persons with pre-1953 insurance contributions who failed to qualify for a contributory pension under the existing qualifying conditions.
The new pension was introduced with effect from 5 May 2000. To qualify, a person must have at least 260 full-rate insurance contributions paid. These may consist solely of pre-1953 contri butions or a mixture of pre and post-1953 contributions. At least one contribution must have been paid before 1953.
A person who has the required number of Irish contributions, as outlined above, will qualify for the new half-rate pension regardless of receipt of a pension from another country. If a person has insufficient Irish contributions to qualify on the above basis, contributions paid in another EU country may be used, provided the person has at least 52 qualifying contributions paid in Ireland, at least one of which must have been paid pre-1953. In these circumstances, the person would receive a proportionate pension having regard to the ratio of Irish contributions to the total applicable contributions.