Vol. 545 No. 4
319 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the free fuel scheme to pensioners in receipt of benefit from the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30551/01]
Pensioners in receipt of an appropriate benefit from the United Kingdom already qualify for a fuel allowance provided they satisfy the other standard qualification criteria concerning income levels and household composition. 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 normally paid to eligible households. However, an additional £3 per week is paid in smokeless zones, bringing the total amount in those areas to £8 per week. In the case of a relatively small number of people living in smokeless zones, the £3 per week smokeless fuel supplement only is payable.
In order to be eligible for assistance under the national fuel scheme, a person must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare or health board payment as set out in the table below. UK pensions qualify for this purpose and are included in the following table.
A pension, benefit or equivalent payment from any country governed by EU regulations or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement is considered a qualifying payment for the purpose of the national fuel scheme. In order to qualify, a person must also satisfy a means test and live alone or with qualified dependants, a carer, a person in receipt of short-term unemployment assistance payments or a person who qualifies for a fuel allowance in their own right.
List of qualifying payments:
320 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will disregard the means test in relation to the provision of home help for persons suffering from a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30552/01]
Income deriving from participation in the home-help service has not, in general, been taken into account for the purposes of determining entitlement to means-tested social welfare payments. The basis for disregarding home help income originates in the fact that the service was traditionally a community-based good neighbours scheme attracting volunteers primarily motivated by the desire to engage in community service and, as such, the service did not come within the realm of conventional employment. These arrangements apply to home help earnings without reference to the status of the client receiving the service.
The Deputy may be aware that, following the conclusion of Labour Court negotiations last June, agreement was reached on a revised overall pay structure for home helps in return for a restructured and enhanced home help service. The agreement provided for the alignment of hourly home help pay-rates with the pay-rates of other non-nursing health service employees, the payment of travel expenses, premia payments for Saturday-Sunday working and full annual leave entitlement as set out in the part-time workers agreement in the health service.
321 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has not been approved for unemployment assistance. [30601/01]
The person concerned has been awarded unemployment assistance at the maximum weekly rate of £98.70 from 9 August 2001. A payment, including arrears due, will issue to her shortly.
