Mary Flaherty
Ceist:156 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will award payment of a living alone allowance and a free fuel allowance to recipients of British and other EC old age pensions.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The living alone allowance is an increase in pension for recipients of social welfare pensions who are aged 66 years or over and who are living alone. It effectively forms part of the pension and it would not be appropriate to apply it to pensions from other countries.
The fuel allowance is a weekly cash payment of £5 per week made during the heating season to households dependent on long term social welfare or health board payments who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. The extension of the allowance to recipients of British and other EC old age pensions would have financial implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context.
Seán Barrett
Ceist:157 Mr. S. Barrett asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will re-examine the application of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin who was turned down for the free telephone rental allowance in October 1991.
To qualify for a free telephone rental allowance, the person concerned must reside alone or only with children under 15 years of age or with other persons who are so permanently incapacitated as to be unable to summon help in the event of an emergency. Medical evidence must be provided to certify the degree of incapacity involved.
In this case the person concerned is residing with her husband who is in receipt of unemployment assistance. A basic condition for receipt of this assistance is that he is genuinely seeking and capable of work.
For this reason the application of the person concerned for a free telephone rental allowance was rejected in October 1991.
John Dennehy
Ceist:158 Mr. Dennehy asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork who applied for social welfare benefit was refused this even though she was entering hospital for the third time in six months and two consultants and her GP have confirmed her ongoing and severe illness; and if he will investigate the circumstances of this case.
The person concerned claimed and was paid disability benefit from 20 December 1990 to 9 May 1991 at which point her claim was disallowed following examination by a medical referee. Subsequently she claimed and was paid unemployment benefit up to 2 September 1991 when he applied again for disability benefit. As the certified cause of incapacity was the same as on the previous claim, no decision was made pending an examination by a medical referee.
Medical referee examinations were arranged for 8 October 1991 and 15 November 1991 but the person concerned was unable to attend because she was hospitalised for short periods on both occasions. She was paid disability benefit during these periods of hospitalisation.
She was examined on 28 January 1992 and the medical referee expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. Her claim was subsequently disallowed. She appealed this decision and was examined by a different medical referee on 14 April 1992 who, having taken account of additional medical evidence received during March 1992, expressed the opinion that she was incapable of work from 2 September 1991, the date of her latest claim to disability benefit. A deciding officer accordingly allowed her claim with effect from 2 September 1991. She claimed and was paid unemloyment benefit for the period 6 February 1992 to 15 April 1992.
The person concerned is not entitled to disability benefit from 17 April 1992 as she has less than 260 paid contributions since her entry into insurance. According to the records of the Department only 105 contributions were paid on her behalf in the period 1983 to date and she is therefore only qualified for disability benefit for a maximum duration of 52 weeks. In calculating the duration of entitlement for the current claim which commenced on 2 September 1991, account had to be taken of her previous disability benefit claim covering the 20-week period 20 December 1990 to 9 May 1991 which links with the current claim under the legislation governing the disability benefit scheme. Her current claim was therefore paid for the maximum permissible duration of 32 weeks.
To qualify for further disability benefit she requires a further 13 employment contributions paid at the appropriate rate.
If she finds that her means are insufficient to meet her needs she should apply to the Community Welfare Officer at her local health centre with a view to claiming supplementary welfare allowance.
Because of the unusual circumstances involved, it is not clear that the person concerned was made adequately aware of the availability of unemployment benefit at the point (in September 1991) where it was decided to postpone a decision on her disability claim. The procedures in my Department are being revised to ensure that more explicit and timely advice is issued in cases of this nature.