Vol. 499 No. 3
73 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will increase the Christmas bonus or make an extra special payment to recipients at the end of 1999 in order to mark the millennium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2599/99]
117 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the Christmas bonus to those in receipt of short-term social welfare benefits in view of the fact that some of these rates are below the levels of long-term benefits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2597/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 117 together.
An amount of £42 million is provided in my Department's 1999 Estimates to provide for payment of a Christmas bonus for approximately 715,000 recipients of long-term social welfare payments. This estimate is based on the payment of a bonus in 1999 similar to the bonus paid in 1998 and earlier years, i.e. 70 per cent of the person's normal weekly payment subject to a minimum payment of £20.
The bonus will be paid to recipients of the following payments:
–disablement pension,
–death benefit by way of pension,
–old age (contributory and non-contributory) pension,
–retirement pension,
–invalidity pension,
–widow's and widower's (non-contributory) pension,
–orphan's (contributory and non-contributory) pension,
–pre-retirement allowance,
–blind pension,
–carer's allowance,
–one parent family payment,
–unemployment assistance at the long-term rate,
–disability allowance,
–payment to people formerly in receipt of deserted wife's benefit and allowance and prisoner's wife's allowance.
74 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if the review relating to the backdating of late social welfare claims prior to 1 January 1997 has been completed; and, if so, the policy changes, if any, proposed in this regard. [2574/99]
People claiming social welfare payments are required to make their claim within a specified period of time. Where a claim is not made in time, payment can only be backdated for a specified period, the duration of which varies with the type of claim. The specified period in the case of retirement, old age (contributory), widow's and widower's (contributory) pension was extended in the 1997 Social Welfare Act to 12 months, for claims made on or after 1 January 1997. This means that full arrears may be paid for up to 12 months prior to the date of claim in such cases.
Under subsequent regulations which I made in February last, a proportion of arrears due in respect of the period beyond 12 months may also be paid for those who made claims on or after 1 January 1997. These regulations also provide for the payment of full arrears, in cases where claims are delayed due to force majeure, proven incapacity on the part of the applicant or to departmental error and to alleviate current financial hardship.
While these provisions represented a considerable improvement on the previous position, I was concerned that a significant number of pensioners who had applied for pension, prior to 1 January 1997, did not benefit from these improvements. I am happy to say, therefore, that provision was made in the recent budget for the payment of proportionate arrears of pension in the case of late claims made prior to 1 January 1997.
Payment of arrears of pension due under the new arrangements has been made recently to more than 340 pensioners. Work is under way to identify and pay other pensioners where such arrears payments may be due.
75 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the new procedures, if any, he has introduced in his Department to ensure ministerial knowledge and approval of all circulars issued which may impact on the entitlement of welfare recipients in view of the circular issued to health boards in December 1998 instructing them not to pay a Christmas bonus to thousands of people on sup plementary welfare allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2594/99]
100 Mr. McDowell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the level of confusion and uncertainty which was caused in the run up to Christmas 1998 in relation to circulars from his Department regarding the payment of the Christmas bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2624/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 100 together.
A large number of circulars issue from my Department in the course of any one year. The majority of these relate to unemployment payments schemes, in respect of which a total of 86 circulars issued in 1998. These circulars contain guidance and advice on interpretation and procedural issues involved in the implementation of new schemes and the administration of existing schemes. Circulars issue in relation to existing schemes when changes and improvements are made or when it becomes apparent that an existing scheme is not being administered correctly.
My Department has a duty of care to the users of its services to ensure that they are treated in a fair and equal manner, consistent with the relevant legislation, regardless of which office or official is dealing with their case. Circulars play a crucial role in achieving this.
I share the Deputy's concern about the confusion and uncertainty which attended the making of additional payments to social welfare recipients in 1998. Christmas bonus payments are provided by my Department to people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments, such as old age pension, at a cost of about £40 million. The circulars which issued to health boards prior to last Christmas had absolutely nothing to do with these payments.
I made it quite clear at the time that the circulars issued to health boards had nothing to do with any cutbacks for the simple reason that there are no cutbacks. It is not true to suggest that the circular issued to health boards instructed them not to pay a Christmas bonus to thousands of people on supplementary welfare allowance. As the Deputy should be aware, there is no actual "Christmas bonus" payment with supplementary welfare allowance SWA, provided for in legislation.
76 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to review the means testing procedures of his Department particularly in view of a recent Comptroller and Auditor General's report. [2631/99]
There is a range of means tests for different social welfare schemes and, while the means testing criteria are broadly similar, there are significant variations in the way certain items are assessed. Some progress has been achieved in recent years in the integration and consolidation of schemes in the process of which some progress was made in consolidating aspects of the means tests. For example, administration of the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme, now known as the disability allowance, was transferred to my Department from the health borads and the schemes of payments to prisoners wives, deserted wives and lone parents have been consolidated into the oneparent family payment.
Apart from integration of scheme rules I am giving a high priority to simplifying the administrative procedures for the collection of means data and reducing the amount of duplication in this area.
The 1998 Social Welfare Act provided for a single personal public service number, public service card and for the sharing of information across Government Departments and specified public bodies for the purposes of determining entitlement to benefits. This will, as it is implemented, reduce duplication and improve the quality of services to the public while enabling departments and state agencies to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.
77 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny continues to be refused disability benefit; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the person had to retire on grounds of ill health from the Department of Defence. [26338/98]
The person concerned was paid disability benefit from 13 November 1992 to 11 October 1994 and from 23 May 1995 to 19 September 1995. Payment of disability benefit was disallowed by deciding officers of my Department following examinations of the person concered by medical assessors in October 1994 and in September 1995. Appeals officers from the independent social welfare appeals office upheld those decisions.
In determining the appeals, the appeals officers carefully considered all the available evidence including that adduced at oral hearings held on 2 March 1995 and 21 March 1996. They were satisfied that his medical condition was not such as to render him incapable of work within the meaning of the relevant social welfare legislation. The decision of an appeals officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed in the light of new facts or fresh evidence.
I should mention that the person concerned has continued to submit medical evidence of incapacity and, with a view to establishing if there was any deterioration in his medical condition, he has been examined by a medical assessor on five occasions since September 1995. He has been found capable of work on each occasion.
My Department is aware that the person concerned was discharged from the Defence Forces on the grounds that he failed to meet the required medical standard.
78 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the costs for 1999 of providing accommodation and living expenses for asylum seekers and refugees; and the proposals, if any, he may have in relation to integrating immigrants into Irish society. [2615/99]
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides entitlement to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme is administered by the health boards on behalf of my Department. Payment may continue as long as the person is resident in the State.
It is not possible to estimate the level of expenditure on supplementary welfare allowance payments to asylum seekers in 1999 with any accuracy as it will depend on a number of factors, including the length of time payments are made in individual cases and the numbers of new asylum seekers arriving. Expenditure in 1998 was £22 million while expenditure in 1997 was £12 million.
The integration of refugees is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I understand that an interdepartmental working group, chaired by that Department, was recently established to examine this issue. My Department is represented on this working group.
