asked the Minister for Health if he will take steps to provide that necessitous persons suffering from tuberculosis are paid the allowance under the Infectious Diseases Regulations irrespective of whether they have been previously employed or not.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Infectious Diseases Regulations.
In accordance with the provisions of Section 44 of the Health Act, 1947, allowances under the Infectious Diseases (Maintenance) Regulations, 1952, are payable to persons suffering from certain infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, who are undergoing treatment therefor to the satisfaction of the chief medical officer and who are thereby prevented from making reasonable and proper provision for their own maintenance or the maintenance of their dependents. The purpose of the scheme of allowances is to enable people who contract such diseases to seek treatment at the earliest possible date instead of continuing in employment, in order to support themselves and their dependents, until the disease had gained such a hold that its cure was impossible or unnecessarily difficult.
This scheme of allowances is administered by local health authorities who, in deciding applications for allowances, must have regard to the purpose underlying the relevant legislation and to the particular circumstances of each case. Whilst, dependent on the particular circumstances of the cases, health authorities may grant allowances to some applicants who have not been previously employed they may, in other cases, feel obliged to refuse allowances to persons not previously employed who are otherwise maintained.
I do not propose to interfere with the discretion exercised by health authorities in this matter.