Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 20 Apr 1994

Vol. 441 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefit.

Jim Mitchell

Ceist:

98 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will make a statement on the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 20 whereby deserted wife's benefit was discontinued because the recipient's youngest child had reached her 18th birthday and the recipient herself was three-and-a-half months short of her own 40th birthday; his views on whether the consequent three-and-a-half months interruption in payment of deserted wife's benefit is causing hardship and, in the circumstances, if he will make special arrangements for the person to receive deserted wife's benefit or a comparable social welfare allowance during the three-and-a-half month gap.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

A deserted wife under 40 years of age is not entitled to receive deserted wife's benefit if she has no qualified child dependant. The person concerned ceased to be entitled to deserted wife's benefit when her daughter reached 18 years of age. Payment of her benefit ceased in March 1994. She will be entitled to reapply for deserted wife's benefit in July 1994 when she reaches 40 years of age.

The legislation does not allow my Department to extend payment of this benefit to the person concerned before her 40th birthday. Any extension of the deserted wife's benefit scheme to cover this situation would have to be examined in a budgetary context.

From the information available to my Department, the person concerned is in employment now. However, if she is experiencing financial difficulties she may wish to contact her community welfare officer at her local health board clinic for assistance through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.