asked the Minister for Social Welfare why insured persons over 65 years of age who worked in Britain cannot claim credit for the British stamps for the purpose of qualifying for disability benefit in this country.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Disability Benefit Claimants.
3.
Under the provisions of the British National Insurance Acts title to sickness benefit normally ceases at age 65 for men and at age 60 for women and therefore the Reciprocal Agreement with Great Britain, in so far as it refers to sickness benefit, does not cover persons over those ages. Such persons may be entitled to British retirement pensions, which are payable here.
However, under the Agreement, persons resident here who have a provisional title to a British retirement pension but who have not retired may, if they fall ill, be paid benefit at the rates applicable under the Social Welfare Acts or at the British retirement pension rate, whichever is the lower.
Surely the Minister will agree it is unfair that somebody who has been working here, is insured, goes to England, and is working there and is insured, and returns here and works for a period, becomes ill and draws sickness benefit until he is 65, should then be informed he can no longer be paid, even though he has a wife and family to support, because he is over 65, despite the fact that he has enough stamps, if the English stamps are included, and despite the fact that there is no retirement benefit at 65 in this country? Does the Minister not think he must be consistent about this? These people should either be allowed to continue to count the British stamps and draw their sickness benefit or be given retirement benefit at 65 here.
As I have already explained to the Deputy, persons aggrieved in the circumstances outlined in the question would need to have a very poor contribution record, because, if they provisionally qualify for retirement benefit under the English record stamps, they are entitled to opt for retirement benefit or, if working here and they become ill, they can get sickness benefit at the lower rate.
The Minister must be aware that over 156 stamps are required to qualify for over 12 months' benefit and, if they are only qualified for British retirement benefit, they find themselves in the position, if they have wives and children in this country, of being entitled to only about £2 14s a week. Does the Minister not agree that the proper thing would be to allow them to qualify for sickness benefit, small as it is, so that they will not have to look for home assistance to supplement the meagre amount they are getting?
As I have said, their stamps record would have to be very poor not to qualify for one or other. In England they are not entitled to sickness benefit if over 65 in the case of a man and if over 60 in the case of a woman.