Bernard J. Durkan
Question:123 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend and improve dental and ophthalmic benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25362/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The treatment benefit scheme operated by my Department provides a range of benefits in the areas of dental, optical and aural treatment for qualified PRSI contributors and their dependent spouses.
As is the case with all schemes operated by my Department the benefits available and the qualifying conditions for the treatment benefit scheme are kept under constant review. This ensures that the schemes are continuing to effectively meet their original objectives in terms of operational efficiency and customer needs.
While I have no specific proposals for changing the qualifying conditions or entitlements under the dental, optical or other components of the treatment benefit scheme the operation of the scheme will be subject to ongoing monitoring by my Department.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:124 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the extent to which he will improve payments in respect of widow's and widowers in 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25363/00]
The widow(er)'s pension schemes recognise the particular difficulties that arise for people following the death of a spouse.
The qualifying conditions for the widow(er)'s contributory pension are already very flexible and make it relatively easy for a widow/er to qualify for a payment. Persons with insufficient social insurance contributions to qualify for the contributory scheme may be eligible for a widow(er)'s non-contributory pension or the one-parent family payment if they have dependent children.
Title to these pensions also gives access to the free schemes, where the person is over 66 years of age. In this context, special measures are in place to ensure that households do not suffer the loss of entitlement following the death of a spouse. Widows/widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes retain that entitlement.
In budget 2000 the free schemes were extended to all persons aged over 75 years of age regardless of income and household composition. I have also made changes to the arrangements which are in place to provide support to widows and widowers in the immediate aftermath of a bereavement. These include an enhanced bereavement grant, the introduction of the widowed parent grant for those with dependent children and improvements to the six weeks after death payment which is made when the deceased was a social welfare recipient.
As I indicated in my budget 2000 speech and following the review of the Action Programme for the Millennium, this Government is committed to extending a pension rate of £100 per week to all social welfare pensions for older people. In this regard, the weekly rate of the widow(er)'s contributory pension was increased to £89.10 in May 2000 for those aged over 66. The maximum rate of the widow(er)'s non-contributory pension for those aged over 66 was increased to £85.50 in May of this year.
The question of making further improvements in the supports available for widows and widowers will be considered in the forthcoming budget.
Questions Nos. 125 and 126 taken with Question No. 16.
Question No. 127 taken with Question No. 28.
Question No. 128 taken with Question No. 51.
Questions Nos. 129 and 130 taken with Question No. 9.
Questions Nos. 131 and 132 taken with Question No. 51.