Vol. 472 No. 2
31 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on the cost to his Department of paying disability benefit to persons who are awaiting medical treatment which would render them fit for work; if his Department has discussed this matter with the Department of Health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21672/96]
To qualify for disability benefit a person must be unfit for work due to illness and must also satisfy the relevant PRSI contribution conditions. Persons who are on waiting lists for medical treatment can qualify for disability benefit on the same basis as applies to applicants generally, i.e. they must be medically certified as unfit for work and satisfy the relevant PRSI contribution conditions.
As the issue of whether a person is on a waiting list for medical treatment does not affect a person's entitlement to disability benefit, no separate statistics are kept on this category of recipient. Accordingly, it is not possible to give an estimate of the costs involved in paying disability benefit to such persons.
It should be noted, however, that very many people who are awaiting medical treatment are not unfit for work or are not eligible for disability benefit, for example, children or elderly people.
The Government's programme A Government of Renewal contains a commitment to reduce waiting lists for a range of surgical procedures by continuing the waiting list initiative over the lifetime of the Government. Under the waiting list initiative, which was introduced in 1993, a sum of £50 million has been allocated to date towards reducing waiting lists. This includes a sum of £12 million which has been allocated this year. This expenditure, which is in addition to the normal financial allocation for hospitals, has resulted in a 25 per cent reduction in the numbers awaiting medical treatment since the initiative was introduced. The Government is committed to continuing to seek further improvements in this area.
