Vol. 461 No. 8
127 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on whether social claimants of the supplementary welfare allowance should be entitled to appeal their claim to the social welfare appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1254/96]
132 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to establish an independent supplementary welfare allowance appeals system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1228/96]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 127 and 132 together.
I share the concerns about the present supplementary welfare allowance appeals system and I recognise the need for improvements.
Among those who have expressed concern about the adequacy of the system are the Ombudsman, agencies such as FLAC and Combat Poverty, and many Deputies, including myself, who have been made aware of the difficulties involved through contact with their constituents.
128 Mr. Flood asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason the social welfare payment to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24 has been reduced by £30 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3945/96]
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 22 January 1996. His means were assessed at £60 per week effective from that date based on his spouse's income from a community employment scheme. Because his spouse's gross weekly income exceeds the prescribed amount, no adult dependant allowance is payable and child dependant allowances are payable at half the standard rate. The means assessment is, however, halved and the person concerned was, accordingly, assessed with means of £30 per week.
An appeal against this decision was received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 29 January 1996 and the matters raised in the appeal have been referred to the independent Appeals Office for consideration. Every effort is being made to have the appeal determined as quickly as possible.
129 Mrs. O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason female psychiatric nurses who married in the 1950s and were compelled to retire on marriage, are not entitled in their own right to an old age pension in spite of the fact that their husbands who are in the same service are entitled to an old age pension. [3985/96]
I assume that the pension the Deputy is referring to is the old age (contributory) pension, which is payable by my Department.
To qualify for an old age contributory pension a person must have entered insurance at least ten years before reaching pension age, have at least 156 contributions paid and have a yearly average of at least 20 contributions (or 24 in the case of a retirement pension) registered since January 1953 (when the unified system of social insurance came into effect), or the time they started insurable employment, if later.
130 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to introduce a scheme of partial assistance for elderly pensioners living alone in respect of Cablelink in view of the increase in its cost in recent years. [4052/96]
As the Deputy is aware, the range of the free schemes currently available to pensioners and other from my Department does not include assistance towards the cost of cable television charges. The provision of such assistance would involve substantial additional expenditure and there are no funds available to me at present for that purpose.
131 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to extend the age limit for qualifying for the free telephone rental allowance for dependent children from 15 years to 18 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1296/96]
As announced in last month's budget, the age limit of a dependent child for the purposes of satisfying the living alone condition for receipt of the free telephone rental allowance is being increased from 15 to 18 years from July next.
133 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to increase the family income supplement in view of the fact that it is a great incentive to offers of work for those on low income. [1298/96]
The improvements in family income supplement which I am introducing this year as approved by me on 24 January, consist of: an increase of £10 in the weekly earnings thresholds governing entitlement to FIS thereby ensuring that most current recipients will receive an increase of £6 per week; a reduction, from six months to three months, in the qualifying period of employment; the extension of FIS to job-sharers; an increase in the FIS payment immediately on the birth of a child which means that the family will not have to wait until the annual review of entitlement, as at present, to receive the increased payment; and a reduction, from 20 to 19, in the number of hours which must be worked in order to qualify for FIS.
