Vol. 529 No. 1
906 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason some persons who enjoy the telephone rental allowance on grounds of age, and regardless of who lives with them, lose this entitlement when they enter long-stay nursing home care even where they continue to have a personal telephone account in their new accommodation; and if he will make provision to change the regulations to ensure that they continue to enjoy this benefit. [1711/01]
The free schemes, including the free electricity-gas allowance, free telephone rental allowance and free television licence schemes, are generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who meet the conditions of a means test. They are also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of free schemes retain that entitlement in order to ensure that households do not suffer a loss of entitlement following the death of a spouse.
From October 2000, the free schemes including the free telephone rental allowance, were extended to all persons aged 75 and over, regardless of their income and household composition. Provision was made in Budget 2001 to extend further the free schemes to all persons aged 70 years and over from May 2001.
The review of the free schemes, which was published by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin, in April 2000, noted that the free schemes share a common set of objectives in the area of social inclusion. These are defined as follows: to provide assistance to those living alone by targeting them with specific benefits providing both income and social inclusion gains; support older people and people with disabilities in their wish to remain in the community as opposed to institutional care; support government policy which seeks to acknowledge the value of older people in society. Any further changes in the arrangements for the free telephone rental allowance would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
907 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason free electricity units for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo have not been applied to her bill. [1712/01]
Entitlement to the free schemes has been extended to all persons aged 70 or over, irrespective of their income or household composition, with effect from October 2000. The person concerned became eligible for the various free schemes as a result of this new provision. She applied for electricity allowance and free television licence in October 2000 and was awarded electricity allowance with effect from 1 November 2000, the date of the next full ESB billing period in her case.
The instruction to the ESB to apply the allowance to her account was not received in time for her last bill. The allowance will appear on her next bill, which will include full credit for the allowance due from 1 November 2000.
908 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider increasing the combined income guidelines for rent supplement as a secondary benefit from £250 to a more reasonable amount in view of the fact that that the guidelines have not been changed for six years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1774/01]
The supplementary welfare allowance – SWA – scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. SWA is not ordinarily payable to people in full time employment. However, arrangements have been in place since 1994 to enable rent and mortgage interest supplement recipients to retain their supplement as an in-work benefit on taking up employment, subject to certain conditions. One of the conditions is that household income must not exceed £250 per week. PRSI and any reasonable travelling expenses are disregarded in the means test.
The income test has not remained unchanged since these arrangements were introduced in 1994. This issue was examined in the context of the Government's commitment under Partnership 2000 to consider a tapering arrangement for SWA housing supplements, in consultation with the social partners. Arising from this, the means test was eased with effect from 6 April 2000, with back to work allowance, BTWA, and family income supplement, FIS, now disregarded in the assessment of means for the £250 household income limit. This represents quite a substantial easing of the income test.
This matter will again be examined later this year as part of the fundamental review of the SWA scheme which is currently being undertaken as part of my Department's series of formal programme evaluations. A working group comprising officials from my Department and other relevant agencies has already been established to carry out this wide ranging review. Any proposals for changes in this area would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
