Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 6 Oct 1999

Vol. 508 No. 4

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

50 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance who have had their disability allowance reduced or discontinued; if this is in accord with general undertakings given at the introduction of disability allowance to the effect that the new system would not militate against existing recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18963/99]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

Responsibility for the administration of the disabled person's maintenance allowance transferred from the health boards to my Department on 2 October 1996 when the allowance was renamed disability allowance. At that stage a total of 34,500 persons formerly in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance became entitled to disability allowance. In the three years to date, the number of recipients has increased by over 40 per cent or some 15,000 to just under 49,500. This is evidence of the improvement which has been brought about in the provision for those at whom this scheme is directed.

When the scheme was introduced, the transitional arrangements provided,inter alia, that the rate of disability allowance would be no less favourable than the rate of disabled person's maintenance allowance at the date of transfer. These arrangements facilitated the transfer of beneficiaries from one scheme to the other without having to apply under the new scheme and without interruption of payment. They did not confer ongoing rights in cases where the medical condition of the applicant would not justify ongoing entitlement or where there was a material change in the recipients circumstances.

Continuing entitlement under the disability allowance scheme is dependent on the person satisfying both a means test and the medical eligibility criteria and this is assessed through a process of periodic review. Since the inception of the disability allowance scheme, some 28,900 claims have been reviewed, of whom 27,400 had transferred from disabled person's maintenance allowance and 1,500 had not. The position in relation to the former is that 37 have had their allowance terminated on the grounds that they no longer satisfy the medical criteria for receipt of disability allowance, 446 had their allowances reduced and 399 had their entitlement terminated because of changes in their means. In all such cases the persons concerned were informed of the decision, the reasons for it, and duly advised of their right of appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.