Vol. 468 No. 4
762 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to review qualifications for the free telephone rental scheme for people with disabilities to take account of the need of people with disabilities who may have an able-bodied spouse who is not employed; the plans, if any, he has for a scheme to allow them to meet the VAT or rental payments related to their telephone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15897/96]
A free telephone rental allowance is normally available only to people who are in receipt of certain social welfare type payments and who are either living alone or only with children aged under 15 or persons who are so incapacitated that they could not get help in an emergency. The allowance covers the cost of the normal telephone rental charges and up to 20 free call units in each two-monthly billing period. The extension of the scheme to include persons with a disability who do not satisfy those conditions would have cost implications and would have to be examined in a budgetary context in the light of the resources available.
763 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will have arrangements made for a final review of the circumstances whereby a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5 was refused a contributory old age pension in spite of the fact that he maintains that he fulfils the PRSI conditions if his total work career from 1946 is taken into account. [15935/96]
Insurance records within my Department indicate that there are no insurance contributions recorded for the person concerned between 1962 and 1991. This gap in his insurance is the reason his yearly average contribution level was insufficient to qualify him for a contributory old age pension. His insurance contributions between 1946 and 1953 cannot be used in determining his entitlement to pension. As the person concerned has indicated that he was employed in his family business between 1953 and 1986 his entitlement to a contributory old age pension is being reviewed. A local officer will call to him shortly to determine his employment status for this period, to inspect insurance records of the family business and to determine the insurability of his employment in the family firm. When this examination is completed, his eligibility to pension will be reviewed and he will be notified of the results as soon as possible.
