Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Brian O'Shea
Question:
141
Mr. O'Shea
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the plans he has to significantly increase the free fuel allowance in view of the paucity of the allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21784/00]
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.
The national and smokeless fuel schemes were reviewed in 1998 as part of my Department's series of programme evaluations. The review group took the view that improvements in the national fuel scheme cannot be looked at in isolation from the improvements in the primary weekly payment rates. The group concluded that the present rates of payment should remain unchanged if improvements in primary payment rates fully compensated recipients for all price inflation, including fuel price inflation. Increasing primary payments gives people greater flexibility in meeting their needs and, of course, the increased rates are payable for all 52 weeks of the year.
I am concerned about the extent to which general price inflation, including fuel price inflation, is impacting on the significant improvements in social welfare payments implemented in the last three budgets. I cannot give specific details of the measures that will be contained in this year's budget but improving the overall position of social welfare recipients will receive a very high priority in that budget.
In the meantime, I wish to point out that fuel allowances are not the sole mechanism through which assistance is provided to people with heating needs.
There is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the community welfare officer at the local health centre.
Where a person would not normally qualify for a heating supplement there is provision under the SWA scheme to pay an exceptional needs payment – ENP. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
Michael Ring
Question:
142
Mr. Ring
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if he will introduce concessions for bus pass holders in rural areas to allow private operators take the passes and be paid on a monthly basis to ensure that those living in isolated rural areas with no proper public transport can avail of their travel pass; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[21806/00]
Liam Aylward
Question:
143
Mr. Aylward
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if he will make provision in the forthcoming budget to have an allowance paid to old age pensioners, particularly persons who live alone, toward the cost of installing a telephone in their homes.
[21811/00]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 142 and 143 together.
The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by semi-State companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as services provided by some 75 private transport operators. The vast majority of these private contractors operate in rural areas. My Department is always willing to consider further applications from licensed private transport operators who may wish to participate in the free travel scheme.
A review of the free schemes was published in April this year by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin. The review considered the difficulties involved in access to public transport services. In this regard, it notes that there are two main groups affected: those who have a disability which prevents them using the service and those for whom a service does not exist, which mainly affects those living in rural areas. This problem, which is unrelated to the free travel scheme, is part of a wider social and infrastructure problem, affecting all those who are disadvantaged and who can neither afford their own transport or avail of access to public transport.
The report notes that while my Department pays transport providers to operate the free travel scheme, it is not obliged to provide services where none exist, nor is it in a position to provide vehicles accessible to people with disabilities. These are matters for the transport providers concerned and for my colleague the Minister for Public Enterprise who has responsibility for public transport.
However, the review of the free schemes does recommend that a ‘social transport fund' be supported and made available to voluntary and community based organisations for the provision of local transport initiatives that would be unlikely to operate without a subsidy. Such a fund would be mainly social in nature and could facilitate the provision of wheelchair accessible vehicles. The review considered it appropriate that such a fund could be managed locally, perhaps by the local authorities, in view of their knowledge of local services and to maintain community autonomy. This proposal needs to be considered further by the relevant Government departments.
The review also considered the issue of extending the free telephone rental allowance to include the cost of installing a telephone. The review considered that the Government's policy of care in the community should support measures to ensure that pensioners are not deprived of a telephone because of inadequate income or perceived fear of costs. It concluded that the provision of free installation should form part of the business negotiation on the future payment of the free telephone rental allowance scheme.
The recommendations made in the review will be examined in the context of future budgets and available resources.
