Vol. 508 No. 1
679 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs whether it is his intention to improve the situation of carers who are not in receipt of a carer's allowance such as a carer in receipt of a pre-retirement allowance caring for her handicapped sister; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17833/99]
The carer's allowance is a means tested payment for carers on low income who look after people in need of full-time care and attention.
Following a detailed examination of the review of the carer's allowance, which was published in October 1998, a range of measures was introduced in the 1999 budget at an additional annual cost of over £18 million, to improve and develop the position of carers. The estimated expenditure on carer's allowance in 1999 is almost £60 million.
The review considered that a needs assessment encompassing both the needs of the care recipient and the carer should be introduced. This would separate care needs from income support needs and could be used by all State organisations which provide reliefs or grants to those in need of care. A working group, which is chaired by Deputy Moffatt, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, and also comprising membership from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and the health boards, has been set up to advance this proposal.
The review also considered the introduction of a new non-means tested payment for carers. This "continual care" payment would be related to the level of care being provided and would formally recognise those providing the highest levels of care in the community. The question of introducing a "continual care" payment will be considered when work on the needs assessment is completed.
680 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend optical benefit to the children of an insured worker; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17834/99]
Optical benefits form part of the treatment benefit scheme which provides a range of benefits in the areas of dental, optical and aural treatment for qualified PRSI contributors and their dependent spouses.
Under the optical benefit scheme, the qualified claimant can get, free of charge, an eye examination together with a pair of spectacles from a limited range of frames. Where a more expensive frame is chosen, my Department pays a fixed contribution with the claimant paying the balance.
I have no plans to extend the optical benefit scheme to include the dependent children of qualified PRSI contributors. The Deputy will be aware that, under the Health Act, 1970, health boards provide, free of charge, health examinations services including vision and hearing screening for pre-school children, national school children and children who are dependants of medical card holders. All necessary follow up services for defects discovered at these examinations are also provided free of charge.
681 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason unemployment assistance was terminated for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare notwithstanding the fact that the applicant complied in every way with requirements and having regard to the final paragraph of the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 200 of 22 June 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17852/99]
684 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason unemployment benefit has been terminated for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17865/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 681 and 684 together.
The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance from 13 May 1991. Following a review of her case in June 1999 a deciding officer disallowed her claim on the grounds that she was not genuinely seeking work.
Notification of the decision and her right to appeal issued on 10 June 1999. No appeal was made in this case.
The person concerned has not claimed unemployment benefit. Any claim made will be examined in full and she will be notified of the outcome without delay.
She contacted the job facilitator in May 1999 and was given information on training courses available locally. She has not been in touch with the job facilitator since that time.
682 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when disability allowance will be paid in full to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [17853/99]
The person concerned was previously in receipt of disabled persons maintenance allowance and, since the transfer of
that scheme to my Department in 1996, has been in receipt of full-rate disability allowance, currently £114.70 per week. He recently had his entitlement to disability allowance reviewed after he notified a change in his personal circumstances to my Department. He is the owner of a second property which, until recently, was being rented out and he was being assessed with rental income of £24 a week. This assessment was preserved under transitional provisions which were made when the disabled persons maintenance allowance scheme transferred to my Department.
In the normal course the value of property must be assessed under the rules for capital assessment which are set out in the legislation. Under those rules the person concerned would be assessed currently with means of £81 per week.
The question as to how the transitional provisions should continue to apply in this case is under examination at present and no re-assessment of means will be made until this examination has been completed. The Deputy will be informed of the outcome.
683 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [17858/99]
The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance from 21 January 1997 to 6 March 1999 when he commenced work.
685 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the benefits available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who wishes to return to full-time education and terminate her full-time employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17868/99]
The back to education programmes administered by my Department are available to unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities who wish to pursue approved full-time courses of education at second level, third level or postgraduate level.
One of the qualifying conditions for these programmes, however, is that the applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for at least six months. The programmes are not intended for people who leave employment voluntarily to return to full-time education and a person in that situation would not qualify for assistance under the scheme.
687 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the length of time the current level of free fuel allowance has been payable; and whether there is any proposal to increase this. [17871/99]
The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A payment of £5 per week, £8 per week in smokeless zones, is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks from mid October to mid April.
Expenditure on the national fuel scheme has increased by approximately 20 per cent in the last six years from £37.5 million in 1993 to £44.9 million in 1998. This year a sum of £46.4 million has been provided in the Estimates for the scheme.
While the last increase in the fuel allowance was in October 1985, fuel price inflation has been much lower than general price inflation.
In addition, the rate payable cannot be viewed in isolation from the improvements in the primary weekly payment rates. In that regard, substantial increases in all the social welfare primary payments of either £3 or £6 per week were paid from the beginning of June 1999.
688 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs whether he will consider in the forthcoming budget the deletion of the means test for the lone parent's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17876/99]
The one-parent family payment, OFP, is a social assistance scheme which is designed to provide financial support for lone parents who are bringing up children on their own. In common with other social assistance schemes the OFP features a means test which is intended to ensure that available resources are targeted at those who are most in need.
In addition to the normal allowances made for capital etc., the means test associated with the OFP allows a recipient to earn up to £115.38 per week without any loss of payment, with the balance of earnings up to £230.76 counted at 50 per cent. There is also a disregard of £75 per week allowed on maintenance received from the second parent towards the cost of rent or mortgage. When compared to other schemes this means test is favourable and, in the circumstances, it is felt that its abolition would not be appropriate.
