Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 2

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Michael Bell

Question:

735 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans in his Department to grant free travel to people with private as against social welfare pensions, who are seriously ill and require to travel to Dublin hospitals from rural areas for treatment. [24153/00]

Richard Bruton

Question:

741 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that applications for a companion travel pass are being refused even in cases where the person who is seeking a companion is prone to blackouts; the exact medical criteria which justifies a companion pass; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24328/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 735 and 741 together.

The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, as well as to carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of a constant attendance allowance or prescribed relatives allowance. It is also available to people with disabilities who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.

In regard to travel for people requiring medical treatment it should be noted that under the provisions of the Health Acts, a health board may make arrangements for the conveyance of patients to and from hospitals. Free travel companion passes have been available since 1990 to persons who qualify for free travel and who, on account of their disability, are unable to travel alone. The companion pass enables a person 16 years of age, or over, to accompany the pass holder free of charge.

A person is eligible to receive a companion free travel if he or she is in receipt of a disability allowance and is medically assessed as being unfit to travel alone; or is over age 66 years and is in receipt of a qualifying payment and prior to reaching age 66 years, he or she was in receipt of disability allowance and is medically assessed as being unfit to travel unaccompanied; or is residing in health board approved residential care (irrespective of his/her age) and: (a) he or she was previously in receipt of disability allowance or he or she was assessed as being medically suitable for disability allowance and (b) he or she has been medically assessed as being unfit to travel alone, or is blind or severely visually impaired, and he or she satisfies any of the following conditions: (a) receives a blind person's pension; (b) satisfies the blindness condition for the blind person's pension; (c) is registered as a blind person with either the National Council for the Blind of Ireland or the National League of the Blind of Ireland; (d) is age 66 years or over and is in receipt of a qualifying payment and prior to reaching age 66 years, was in receipt of a blind person's pension from this Department or a blind person's tax free allowance; is in receipt of one of a qualifying payment and is certified by either the Irish Wheelchair Association or by his-her GP as being a permanent wheelchair user; is in receipt of full-time care and attention from someone who is receiving carer's allowance from this Department; is age 75 years or over and is medically assessed as being unfit to travel alone. If Deputy Bruton has a specific case in mind, I will have this examined.

The review of the free schemes, which was published by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin in April this year, examined the issue of extending the companion free travel pass scheme to all people with disabilities and noted that CIE has expressed concerns about the operation of the companion pass, in particular that anecdotal evidence would suggest that some pass holders are quite capable of travelling alone. In this regard, the review notes that companion passes should be issued only to people who have definite needs.

In view of the free travel scheme's objective to encourage recipients to remain mobile, the review recommends that a free travel companion pass should be issued to all people in receipt of invalidity pension who are unable to travel alone. This would standardise the qualifying conditions for a companion pass for both invalidity pension and disability allowance.

The report examines a large number of issues and requires detailed consideration. I will carefully examine all the recommendations made in this report in the context of future budgets and available resources.

Liam Lawlor

Question:

736 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the total number of applications made in 2000 under the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance scheme which closed on 30 September 2000; and if he will provide the comparative figures since 1997. [24155/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards. The scheme is designed to assist certain recipients of social welfare and health board payments with the cost of children's school uniforms and footwear. Certain people on low incomes who are in receipt of family income supplement may also qualify for assistance.

Under the scheme an allowance of £63 is payable in respect of qualified children from two to 11 years and an allowance of £78 is payable in respect of qualified children from 12 to 22 years. This represents an increase of £20 on last year's rates.

Full statistics for the scheme for this year are not yet available. While the closing date for applications is 30 September 2000, processing and payment of late claims continue after this date and final returns from the health boards have not yet been received.

However, indications are that the total value of payments made in 2000 will have increased by about 19% over 1999, while the number of children in respect of whom a payment is made will have fallen by about 15%.

A BSCF allowance was paid in respect of 249,000 children in 1997, 209,300 children in 1998 and 183,708 in 1999. The decrease in the number of payments being made in recent years is due to increased employment, with more people moving off social welfare less people are qualifying for the allowance.

I am aware of the difficulties faced by low income households when faced with providing clothing and footwear for children at back-to-school time in September each year. I am also very conscious of the importance of supporting low income families so that their children can participate fully in the education system to the maximum extent possible. In that regard, I have established a working group to undertake a review of the back to school clothing and footwear scheme as part of my Department's series of programme evaluations. The review is examining all aspects of the scheme including the rates of payment as well the income limits, the means test, time of payment, the eligibility criteria and other issues.

I expect to have the working group's report by the end of this year.

Question No. 737 taken with Question No. 725.

Michael Ring

Question:

738 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved for and paid the carer's allowance. [24323/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 13 June 2000. He is currently in receipt of unemployment assistance of £56.10 per week. The case has been referred to an investigation officer of my Department for a means assessment and to confirm that the conditions for carer's allowance are satisfied. An appointment was made by a investigation officer to interview the applicant on 3 November 2000. On receipt of the investigation officer's report the claim will be considered further.

Jim Higgins

Question:

739 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the amount of Christmas bonus available for short-term unemployed. [24325/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The Christmas bonus, which has been paid at a rate equivalent to 70% of a person's normal weekly payment since 1989, subject to a minimum payment of £20, will be increased this year to 100% of a person's normal weekly payment. It will be paid in the first week in December to some 716,000 long-term social welfare recipients at a cost of £65.7 million.

The bonus will be paid to recipients of the following payments: disability pension, death benefit, by way of pension, old age contributory and non-contributory pension, retirement pension, invalidity pension, widow's and widower's non-contributory pension, orphan's contributory and non-contributory pension, pre-retirement allowance, blind pension, carer's allowance, one parent family payment, unemployment assistance at the long-term rate, farm assist, disability allowance, payments to people formerly in receipt of deserted wife's benefit and allowance, and prisoner's wife's allowance.

The Christmas bonus is not payable to recipients of short-term payments such as unemployment benefit or short-term unemployment assistance. Any change in the categories of persons to whom the bonus is paid would have cost implications and would have to be considered in the context of other priorities and commitments.