Brendan Smith
Ceist:36 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the proposals, if any, he has to extend the free schemes administered by his Department. [1986/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
A review of the free schemes is being carried out by an official of my Department on secondment, as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Policy Institute, Trinity College, Dublin. It is expected that the research conducted will be formally published by the Policy Institute in the "Trinity Studies in Public Policy" series in March 2000.
In anticipation of the review findings, I announced two specific measures in budget 2000. These are the extension of the free schemes to all persons aged 75 years and over, regardless of their income and household composition and the extension of the free electricity allowance and free television licence to all carers in receipt of the carer's allowance and to carers who are caring for people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relatives allowance. Both of these measures will be implemented from October 2000 at an estimated full year cost of £6 million.
I will consider further measures when I examine the final report and in the context of the overall financial resources available.