Vol. 422 No. 5
170 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will amend the regulations governing free travel so that in cases where a recipient's spouse is deceased or incapacitated a recipient may be accompanied by another member of his/her family.
Free travel is available to all persons living in the State who are 66 years of age or over and to certain incapacitated persons under that age. The scheme also enables a spouse under age 66 to travel free when accompanying a free travel pass holder. This is in recognition of the fact that married couples would be accustomed to travelling together.
There is no provision enabling another member of the pass holder's family to travel free where the spouse is incapacitated or deceased. To extend the scheme in that way would have significant financial and other implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context.
171 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will clarify whether, in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7, money is due under the equality payment retrospection; and if so, if he will outline the amount involved and when it will be paid.
The person concerned does not qualify for payment under the equal treatment provisions as she does not appear to have been entitled to a payment affected by these provisions during the period December 1984 to November 1986. She had been in receipt of unemployment benefit up to 19 November 1982 but ceased to be entitled thereafter as she had received her maximum entitlement of 390 days benefit.
The person concerned was in receipt of a widow's pension from May 1975 to March 1989 when she qualified for old age (contributory) pension. The equal treatment provisions do not apply to either of these pensions.
172 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the case of a couple (details supplied) in Dublin 7 where the husband was receiving £93 per week invalidity pension for both of them, but due to the impossibility of living on that amount the wife took up a part time job at £48 per week until she became seriously ill recently and had to go on sick leave and claim disability benefit which amounts to £50 per week and that as a result of her being awarded disability benefit, her husband's disability pension has been reduced by an exactly similar amount leaving them worse off by £48 per week and causing them severe hardship in addition to her illness; if there is any exceptional provision available to this couple to avoid imposing such hardship especially at this time of need and in view of the fact that she needs special food because of her illness; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The person concerned has been in receipt of invalidity pension since 28 April 1988. He was being paid at the rate of £93.60 per week comprising a personal rate of £56.40 and an adult dependant allowance of £37.20 up to 1 July 1992. As the wife of the person concerned is in receipt of disability benefit in her own right at the full personal rate of £50.00 per week, no adult dependant allowance or invalidity pension is payable to her husband.
There are no provisions under the Social Welfare Acts for payment of an adult dependant allowance with invalidity pension in respect of an adult dependant who is receiving a social welfare payment in his/her own right. If, however, the means of the person concerned are insufficient to meet his needs, he may contact the community welfare officer at his local health board office regarding possible eligibility for payment under the Supplementary Welfare Act.
The rate of payment to the couple concerned will be increased from 30 July 1992, from £106.40 to £111.70 per week.
