asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will consider extending the free electricity, television and telephone rental schemes to old age pensioners in receipt of pensions from health boards and other categories at present excluded.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
13.
Pensioners aged over 66 years who are in receipt of a social welfare pension are entitled to an electicity allowance, a telephone rental allowance and a free television licence, subject to a living alone condition.
The extension of these schemes on the lines proposed would entail significant additional costs and there are no proposals to introduce changes of this nature at present.
May I put to the Minister a case — without naming the person involved — of a widow of a doctor who served in the General Medical Services under the county council and then under the health board and that of many others in that category who are deprived of the benefits of the scheme? Would the Minister agree that it would constitute a small extension to include them for free electricity, television and telephone services? They feel most aggrieved. I shall have to bring this matter to the attention of the Ombudsman if the Minister is not prepared to look into the matter and come up with a decision in favour of those people.
I understand that the additional cost of the proposal could amount to over £6 million. It comes under the heading of another proposal. Indeed we must have reached well over £200 million now in the course of this Question Time — of requests for extra expenditure without any suggestions of where that money might be found. The Commission on Social Welfare recommended that the benefits we are discussing should be retained for the existing categories of recipients. The commission did not recommend the extension that the Deputy is seeking now. Whereas it may cause people some concern, unfortunately, it is a question of our having the financial resources available to us and the logic, if you like, of extending these schemes in the face of the advice of the Commission on Social Welfare.
I am moving to Priority Questions.
In fairness, does the Minister not think that they have a right to these services?
The Minister is not to answer that question.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I want to raise on the Adjournment the subject matter of Question No. 18 which the Minister has avoided taking.