Enda Kenny
Ceist:135 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a free fuel allowance will be awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The free fuel allowance has been awarded in this case and payment will be issued shortly.
The person concerned was transferred to the more flexible and convenient personalised payment order system some months ago. This change means that he does not have to sign the unemployment register every week.
He appears to have believed that his basic status was changed to that of pensioner. Accordingly, he sent his application to the wrong office and this led to some delay.
Charles Flanagan
Ceist:136 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason arrears of unemployment assistance were not paid to a person (details supplied) in County Laois from the date of claim which was May 1980.
The person concerned first claimed unemployment assistance in September 1989. The claim was disallowed because he failed to submit sufficient details to allow his means to be assessed. The decision to disallow was upheld by an appeals officer in May 1990.
In November 1990, additional information was provided to my Department. Following further investigation and decision, the case was referred to the independent social welfare appeals office. The appeals officer concluded that the means could only be established with effect from 2 November 1990 and the means were assessed at £45.00 per week from that date.
The position with regard to the period before 2 November 1990 is that the claimant has not submitted sufficient details to allow the means to be fully assessed. If he is now in a position to supply full information in respect of the earlier period the case will be reviewed.
Richard Bruton
Ceist:137 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason the free travel pass afforded to recipients of the disabled persons maintenance allowance which allows a companion travel free with them, is not extended to single or widowed blind persons who will invariably have to have a companion travel with them on any lengthy journey; and if he will outline the cost of extending this concession to single and widowed blind persons.
The free travel companion pass, which I introduced last year, enables people in receipt of a disabled person's maintenance allowance — mainly the mentally handicapped — who are unable to travel on their own, to have a companion travel free with them when they avail of the free travel scheme. Some 12,000 of the new passes are in use at present.
Information is not at present available to enable the cost of extending the companion pass to blind persons to be estimated. In view of the cost implications, however, this proposal would have to be considered in a budgetary context.