Vol. 560 No. 1
975 Mr. Cregan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will consider increasing the number of hours permitted to carers to work outside the home under the carer's allowance scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1148/03]
The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to people who are providing certain elderly or incapacitated persons with full-time care and attention and whose incomes fall below a certain limit.
From August 1999 the full-time care and attention requirements were relaxed to introduce an element of flexibility for carers while still safeguarding the needs and interests of care recipients. Under these arrangements, which were introduced in recognition of the economic and therapeutic value of work, carers may work for up to ten hours per week.
However, the carer's allowance scheme is designed for full-time carers and, accordingly, in allowing for flexibility to work, a balance needs to be struck between the needs of the care recipient and needs of the carer to maintain contact with the labour market. The present arrangement achieves this and there are no plans to change the hours condition in present circumstances.
976 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the benefits or entitlements for which pre-1953 contributions may now qualify an applicant; the legislative basis for the exclusion of other benefits or entitlements from the application of pre-1953 contributions; her plans to allow pre-1953 contributions to count for all insured social welfare benefits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1160/03]
Pre-1953 contributions may be used to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the old age (contributory) and widow-widower's (contributory) pensions and orphan's (contributory) allowance. In order to qualify for these pensions a person must, amongst other things, have a minimum number of paid social insurance contributions and achieve a minimum yearly average of contributions paid or credited on their social insurance record.
There is no average contribution test for the orphan's allowance. In the case of the widow-widower's (contributory) pension, pre-1953 contributions may be used to satisfy both conditions. In the case of the old age (contributory) pension, these contributions may not be used to satisfy the average contribution test. Section 83 (2) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 1983 sets out the manner in which the average contribution record is to be calculated for the purposes of the old age (contributory) pension.
However, in line with the Government's commitment to ensuring the widest possible coverage for old age (contributory) pension, a special flat-rate pension payable at 50% of the maximum personal rate, was introduced from May 2000 for people with pre-1953 social insurance contributions who, due to the yearly average rule, failed to qualify for a pension. To qualify, a person must have paid at least 260 contributions which may comprise all pre-1953 contributions or a combination of pre and post-1953 insurance. In excess of 23,000 people have benefited from this special measure.
Other social welfare contributory benefits are generally aimed at those who, for one reason or another, are absent from work. Claimants must demonstrate a recent attachment to the workforce and so qualifying conditions usually require that contributions be made in a recent tax year. In the circumstances, pre-1953 contributions would not be relevant in the context of qualification for such benefits. Any further development in relation to recognition for pre-1953 contributions would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
977 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will address the inequality in relation to the retirement pension where the recipient of such a pension cannot earn more than ?39.00 per week, in view of the fact that as part of the programme for Government it was agreed that this requirement would be removed along with other financial disincentives for people of pension age who may want to continue some form of employment; and if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many people of pension age, owing to improved health and longer life spans, are remaining active longer. [1166/03]
The retirement pension was introduced in 1970 and was intended to bridge the gap between retirement at age 65 and the pension age for social welfare purposes, which at the time was 70. The qualifying age for old age pension was subsequently reduced to 66 years of age. In the circumstances, the retirement condition now only applies to one year.
The Government is anxious to encourage older people to remain active in the labour force for as long as is possible and is committed to removing the requirement to retire at 65 in order to receive a retirement pension. Progress in this regard will be made as soon as possible, having regard to the availability of resources and to other priorities within the Government programme.
978 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding an overpayment on an old age contributory pension to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1211/03]
The person concerned had been in receipt of old age contributory pension since 20 December 1985 which included a qualified adult allowance in respect of his wife. The wife died on 25 July 1999 but my Department was not made aware of this at the time. Consequently, the qualified adult allowance continued in payment until March 2001 when notification of the date of death was first received.
As a result of this, an overpayment of qualified adult allowance arose in respect of the period 10 September 1999, i.e. six weeks after the date of death, to 8 March 2001 and amounting to €7,747.60. The overpayment is recoverable under Section 279 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993. In accordance with the code of practice on the recovery of overpayments it was decided to accept weekly deductions of €6.00 from the weekly rate of old age contributory pension. These deductions commenced on the 18 October 2002. Allowing for this deduction his current weekly rate of pension is €147.70 increasing to €157.70 from 3 January 2003.
