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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Mar 1994

Vol. 440 No. 1

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Máirín Quill

Ceist:

12 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he proposes to take over the infectious disease maintenance allowance scheme and the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme from the health boards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Mary Harney

Ceist:

35 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends to introduce a national social assistance scheme for people who are sick with no entitlement to disability benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 35 together.

The principal income maintenance scheme which is available to those people who are unable to work because of illness or disability and are not eligible for contributory benefits is disabled person's maintenance allowance. This scheme is administered by the health boards. In the event of a person not being eligible for disabled person's maintenance allowance, they may apply for supplementary welfare allowance which is a weekly allowance payable to people whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants.

I recognise that there is a case for reform in this area. Such reform would cater for existing disabled person's maintenance allowance recipients and for recipients of supplementary welfare allowance who are unable to work through illness or disability. I would envisage that a significant step along the way would be made with the transfer of responsibility for the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme to the Department of Social Welfare. The integration of the disabled person's maintenance allowance or infectious disease maintenance allowance into the social welfare system would be a complex matter and would require detailed consideration. I have a number of major developments in hands at present to streamline the administration of social welfare schemes and improve the capacity of my Department's systems. Changes to the systems to accommodate the schemes in question are being considered in this context.

I agree with the Minister that these schemes should be streamlined. The Minister will agree that there is a great deal of unnecessary duplication which creates difficulty both for the clients involved and health board officials. It would be desirable if the people involved could be brought together under a new national social assistance scheme for the sick. Has the Minister a timescale?

The Minister for Health and I are anxious to see the transfer take place as soon as possible. One of the first objectives will be to bring in the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme. I am also keen to have a scheme which would provide for those not catered for under the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme and who are forced to claim unemployment assistance or supplementary welfare allowance. That is part of the change I would like to see take place. We are doing further work on computerising the social welfare system which will result in a better and more streamlined service. Provision is included in that for the disabled person's maintenance allowance. We must have discussion with the health boards and make arrangements for any changes that may be made. It is agreed in principle that will be done.

How many people qualified for the infectious diseases maintenance allowance in the last financial year? Will the Minister look at the way in which that scheme is administered by the health boards? People who have been diagnosed as suffering from TB are asked to wait in crowded waiting rooms to see community welfare officers and are subsequently quizzed about the nature of their health before a decision is made on the allowance. Would the Minister agree there is urgent need to review the working of the scheme and the manner in which people are subjected to questioning about their health? Will he issue one of his famous circulars to ensure that people who have an infectious disease get the entitlements they are due and do not have to claim under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme?

It would appear that additional information is being sought.

The infectious diseases maintenance allowance was introduced mainly to help with eradication of TB. The number of people claiming the allowance has fallen steadily over the years. In 1991 the number was 59.

Has any study been carried out to ascertain the number of people who are sick but not entitled to disabled person's maintenance allowance, disability benefit or the infectious diseases maintenance allowance? How many sick people are in receipt of unemployment assistance and how many are claiming assistance under the supplementary welfare allowance system?

I do not have that information readily available. A person in that position would go on to SWA.

Not automatically.

I know it is a grey area and that is why I am anxious to see it improved.

They would go on to it at a lower rate.

Yes. Some 11,000 or 12,000 people a year benefit under SWA. I would like to see that issue dealt with in the overall context of the disabled person's maintenance allowance and the Department of Social Welfare. There may be budgetary implications and that is a problem which must be addressed but it is a priority area I will pursue.

It would be a relatively simple matter to provide for people in receipt of unemployment assistance who become ill to transfer on to a sick person's assistance, which would give them the same income and would not require them to go through the supplementary welfare allowance system provided they supplied medical evidence to the effect that they were sick.

The problem with that is we have the disabled person's maintenance allowance system. The Deputy and I know from speaking to people that it does not meet all the requirements. What I have in mind is a disability allowance. The disabled person's maintenance allowance is run by the health boards and the Department of Health and that is the system to deal with it.

I know it is for more serious cases.

The Minister stated that 59 people qualified for the infectious diseases maintenance allowance and this indicates that people are being transferred from that scheme to the supplementary welfare scheme. Will he satisfy himself that the health boards are operating the system as proposed?

I appreciate the point the Deputy is making and I will look at the matter.

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