Vol. 486 No. 4
27 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will allow discretion to old age pensioners under the age of 75 years who are disqualified from the free electricity allowance because of a family member living with them and whose only source of income is unemployment assistance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2688/98]
31 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review the feasibility of his Department either making special arrangements or including in the free schemes the costs associated with cable television for social welfare recipients, particularly for recipients over 75 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2546/98]
32 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will ensure that persons in receipt of widow's or widower's pensions, who are permanently incapacitated, receive the same entitlements as those in receipt of invalidity pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2679/98]
54 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the free travel scheme to allow those eligible to use private transport and taxis in rural areas where public transport is neither suitable or available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2677/98]
57 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the free schemes to widows; and if his attention has been drawn to the hardship being experienced by these women at a most traumatic time. [2685/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 31, 32, 54 and 57 together.
The free schemes such as the free electricity allowance, the free telephone rental allowance and the free TV licence are available to people, usually aged 66 or over, who are in receipt of a welfare type payment and who are either living alone or who otherwise satisfy this condition. In addition, widows and widowers between the ages of 60 and 65, whose late spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes, retain that entitlement.
One of the qualifying conditions of the free electricity allowance scheme is that the applicant must be living alone or living only with certain excepted people. People in receipt of unemployment benefit or assistance do not qualify as excepted people and there are no plans to expand the number of excepted categories to include recipients of unemployment payments.
The range of the free schemes currently available does not include assistance towards the cost of cable television charges.
As announced in the budget, people in receipt of invalidity pension, disability allowance and blind person's pension who transfer to certain other social welfare pensions, for example, widow's and widower's contributory pensions, will retain their entitlement to the free schemes. This measure will extend the current arrangement which allows only for invalidity pensioners who transfer either to retirement pension at age 65 or to widow's or widower's contributory pension at age 60 or over, to retain their free schemes.
The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over, as well as to certain people with disabilities under that age who are in receipt of certain welfare-type payments. The purpose of the scheme is to encourage such people to remain active in the community by providing them with access to spare capacity on a range of services provided by the CIE group of companies as well by 56 private transport operators who also participate in the scheme.
I have no plans to extend the free travel scheme to include taxi services. However, as Deputies may know, licensed private transport operators participate in the free travel scheme and the Department will consider further applications from this group.
The individual proposals raised by the Deputies would involve additional expenditure which could be considered only in a budgetary context.
The question I tabled refers to the free electricity allowance only. As I am sure the Minister knows, many pensioners who live with a son or daughter in receipt of social welfare benefit do not derive any benefit from that person. I ask for discretion in this matter. Very often that son or daughter can be an encumbrance on the pensioner. They could have a drink or drug problem and be using part of the pensioner's allowance to feed their habit. In specified cases the conditions of the household should be examined and if the pensioner deserves to have free electricity he or she should get it.
I accept that Deputies from all sides have had difficulties over the years with the free schemes. Successive Governments have relaxed the schemes, but the type of change suggested by the Deputy would have huge budgetary ramifications. I cannot see any way of going as far as he suggests in any future budget.
Does the Minister agree the free travel scheme is unfair given that people living in areas where there is a public transport service can avail of it, but people in other areas do not derive any benefit from it? There is a huge anomaly in that regard.
I accept there are anomalies in the scheme and from time to time officials of my Department meet groups to discuss how to deal with the problem. The scheme depends on the availability of transport. Apart from the CIE group, 56 private operators participate in the scheme and as far as possible the entire country is covered. I accept, however, that some areas are not covered. There are ongoing discussions to try to resolve the problem.
In general the free schemes were introduced to assist people living alone. Although it may not have been intended, does the Minister accept they discourage pensioners from living with a family member? Does he accept that in many cases it would be more appropriate for an elderly person to have somebody living with them? Many of the elderly living in rural areas are prey to criminals and, from a social point of view, pensioners in urban areas should be encouraged to live with a family member. Will the Minister re-examine the schemes from that point of view? Question No. 27 refers to a person on unemployment assistance living with a pensioner. Surely, from a society point of view they should be encouraged to live together.
In recent times there have been changes to take account of the Deputy's concern. The household composition rules no longer affect eligibility for free schemes of applicants over the age of 75. That was a much sought after change. I will examine other possible changes to facilitate, in particular, people living in exposed regions of urban and rural areas.
While we await zero tolerance.
It raises much broader questions.
How much would it cost to reduce the age threshold from 75 to 70?
I will submit that information to the Deputy.
I would also like that information.
