Seán Barrett
Ceist:71 Mr. Barrett asked the Minister for Social Welfare the circumstances, if any, in which a person in receipt of disability benefit may continue to receive benefit whilst outside the EC recuperating after a heart attack.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Under EC Regulations payment of disability benefit is allowed during a temporary absence abroad within the EC.
Outside the EC area, however, disability benefit may not be paid except in the case of a temporary absence of not more than 26 weeks for the specific purpose of receiving medical treatment.
There is no provision for payment of disability benefit for periods of temporary absence outside the EC in cases where claimants are recuperating from an illness unless they are there for the specific purpose of receiving medical treatment for their incapacity.
Jim Mitchell
Ceist:72 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if all receipients of long term disability benefit will in future qualify for the Christmas bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
When first introduced in 1980, the Christmas bonus was paid to the elderly and other pensioners, including the long term sick in receipt of invalidity pension. In 1985 it was extended to the unemployed in receipt of the long term rate of unemployment assistance. Disability benefit is regarded as a short term social insurance payment and there are no proposals at present to extend the Christmas bonus to recipients of that benefit.
A Christmas bonus of 70 per cent of normal weekly payments was paid last year at a cost of £31 million which was an increase of £3 million on 1991. In all over one million people benefited i.e., 655,000 recipients and their 395,000 dependants.