Vol. 426 No. 5
96 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will extend the free telephone rental scheme to British pensioners resident in Ireland, who are Irish citizens, and the real value of whose pension is actually less than the equivalent Irish pension.
In 1989 I extended the free telephone rental allowance scheme to pensioners receiving State pensions from EC member states who are resident in Ireland. This extension also applies to pensioners from countries with which we have completed bilateral agreements in relation to social security pensions.
As a result, British and other EC social security pensioners who are resident here may qualify for a free telephone rental allowance on the same conditions as Irish social welfare pensioners. The purpose of the scheme is to encourage elderly or disabled persons who are living alone and who are dependent on social welfare-type payments to have a telephone in order to be able to summon help in an emergency. The allowance is not payable in cases where there is another person in the household who is capable of seeking help in such circumstances.
