Jack Wall
Question:318 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will receive a payment of free fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4503/01]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
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 is paid to eligible households and £8 per week is paid in smokeless zones. The fuel season has been increased from 26 weeks to 29 weeks, as announced in this year's budget. The current fuel season will be extended by two weeks in April 2001 and the next fuel season will start one week earlier in October 2001.
The person concerned is in receipt of a basic weekly payment of supplementary welfare allowance, pending the finalisation of her appeal against the refusal of disability allowance. There is no record of the person concerned having made a claim for fuel allowance either from my Department or from the local health board. It is open to her to contact the community welfare officer at her local health centre and make an application for a fuel allowance and for any other assistance that may be available in her circumstances.
Olivia Mitchell
Question:319 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the anomaly in payments to the mothers of twins vis-à -vis those to mothers of other multiple births. [4556/01]
I have set out the position in relation to the issue of child benefit entitlements and multiple births on a number of occasions to this House in the recent past. Briefly, the position is that prior to the introduction of the Social Welfare Act, 1998, child benefit was payable at twice the normal rate for each child where three or more children were born together. In the case of twins, child benefit was paid at the normal rate but a grant of £500 was payable at the birth of twins and further grants of £500 were payable when the twins reached the ages of four and 12.
In fulfilment of our pre-election commitments, I introduced two key additional measures in the Social Welfare Act, 1998, designed to improve the overall package of benefits available to parents of multiple births. First, the rate of child benefit payable in respect of twins was increased to 150% of the normal child benefit rate. Second, the £500 grants, which previously were confined to families with twins, were extended to include also families with multiple births of three or more children. Both these measures took effect in September 1998 at a full year cost of some £4.8 million.
I do not accept that the current arrangements represent an anomaly. The payment of child benefit at 150% of the normal rate in the case of twins and double the normal rate in the case of triplets, gives recognition within the child benefit scheme of the special nature of such births and the additional costs associated with them. The cost of providing for double child benefit payment for twins is estimated at some £10.2 million in a full year, based on the improved rates recently announced in budget 2001.