Vol. 305 No. 3
asked the Minister for Health if he has under consideration any proposed changes with respect to the £3,000 limit with regard to the entitlement to health benefits for persons classified as non-manual workers; if he is aware of the many people on low incomes who are suffering hardship on account of the present situation; and if he will make a comprehensive statement on the matter.
20.
asked the Minister for Health if, in view of the hardship caused, he will immediately abolish the distinction between manual and non-manual workers for eligibility for health services.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 20 together. The revision of the present limit of £3,000 per annum and of the criteria determining "limited eligibility" is being considered in the light of the proposed introduction in 1979 of a scheme of pay-related contributions concerning health and social welfare. This review will take account of the distinction between manual and non-manual workers for eligibility purposes.
The existing provisions are adequate to ensure that persons who require hospital services need not suffer financial hardship as a result of getting these services. All insured workers who were eligible because their earnings came within the £3,000 limit when it was first introduced in July 1976 are still eligible, and will retain this eligibility at least until the beginning of 1979, even though their incomes may since have exceeded this limit. Furthermore, any person who no longer satisfies the standard criteria of eligibility may still qualify for services without charge if the chief executive officer of the relevant health board considers that payment for the required service would involve hardship.
Arising from the Minister's standard reply on this matter, is he not aware that there are categories which have gone out of benefit since 1976 because their income went above £3,000 per annum by virtue of increases other than the national wage round, in other words, if their income went above the limits by virtue of either promotion or annual increments? Is the Minister not aware of that? He must have very little contact with the psychiatric nurses——
Anybody whose income went over £3,000 between 1976 and the end of that year retains his eligibility for two years from the end of 1976.
Only by virtue of the national wage increases.
No.
If their income went above the limit by virtue of annual increments or by promotion, those people are out of benefit since January this year.
No.
Those categories include clerical officers working in local authorities and psychiatric nurses——
That is not so. How the income is increased is not relevant; it is the level of income that matters and the position is as I have outlined it.
Would the Minister not agree that from his point of view it may not be relevant how the income was increased, but the regulations are being interpreted in this way and those people are out of benefit since 1 January this year? I can produce hundreds of cases to illustrate my point.
The position is as I have indicated it. Anybody who was eligible in July 1976 will be eligible until the beginning of 1979 at least. If the Deputy has any case where he alleges that that situation is being improperly administered, he should let me know.
Every psychiatric nurse is a case.
Is the Minister not aware that he has received submissions from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions pointing out that there are great numbers who have gone out of benefit? Is he also not aware that he received similar submissions from the Irish Union of Distributive Workers, and he is being told constantly in this House that great numbers have gone out of benefit? He has stonewalled on this and said it would be unwise to do anything until next year.
I have had correspondence with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. As a result of that correspondence, the congress are now satisfied that the position is as I have outlined it.
I am sorry, their members are not.
Am I right in believing that the Government's own figure of average earnings is £70 a week which would imply that people are no longer in benefit because the £3,000 limit has been exceeded? Secondly, and perhaps more important, would he agree that this discrimination between manual and non-manual workers is fundamentally socially discriminatory and does not have a real economic and social basis any longer and perhaps it might be got rid of? Would that be a reasonable proposition?
I admit that the distinction between manual and non-manual workers is anomalous. We are all agreed on that. The point is that it has been there for a considerable time now. The only thing I can say about it at this stage is that that situation will be reviewed in the context of the introduction of the new scheme next April.
Does that mean that the Minister would personally like to see an end to this discrimination?
I do not like to see any anomalies in the health service at any level and there are very undesirable aspects of the present situation.
One final supplementary question.
For clarification——
We have had a number of supplementaries on this question.
I am seeking the Minister's help in this regard because many people have assured me they are out of benefit. Would the Minister consider issuing a direction saying that no matter how these people went out of eligibility, whether through promotion or annual increments, they will still remain eligible——
A better way would be for the Deputy to give me whatever information he has where this situation is not being properly adhered to. Let us begin with that.
There are so many cases that the simplest way would be for the Minister to issue a direction and then nobody would be in any doubt.
Would the Minister look at the two categories, clerical officers in the local authority services and psychiatric nurses?
