Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 1 Mar 2000

Vol. 515 No. 4

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

35 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on whether there are anomalies in relation to free electricity, free telephone and television allowances for widows, under the age of 60 when their husband dies, who are unable to obtain the benefit of these schemes when they reach the age of 60 as opposed to the position of widows over the age of 60 at the time of bereavement and for whom these allowances are automatically continued; and the steps, if any, he will take to remove this anomaly. [6237/00]

Austin Deasy

Ceist:

40 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will facilitate people on widow's or widower's pension entitled to a disability allowance in order that they may qualify for the free schemes. [6199/00]

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

50 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the progress, if any, with the review of the free travel schemes; the consideration, if any, given to the various suggestions put forward for extension, potential and efficacy of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6164/00]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 40 and 50 together.

The free travel scheme is available to all people resident in the State aged 66 years or over, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance, to carers of people in receipt of prescribed relatives and constant attendance allowance and also to certain people with disabilities under that age who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.

The other free schemes are generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who pass a means test. They are also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.

Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes retain that entitlement provided that prior to the death of the spouse or partner, the couple were permanently residing together. This is to ensure that households do not suffer a loss of entitlements following the death of a spouse.

The 1997 budget allowed recipients, regardless of age, who transferred from invalidity pension, disability allowance or blind person's pension to any other social welfare payment, including widow/er's pension, to retain their entitlement to the free schemes.

As Deputies are aware, 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. The purpose of the review is to assess whether the objectives of these schemes are being achieved in the most effective and efficient man ner. The many proposals put forward by Deputies are addressed in the review. 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. Any proposals arising in the context of this review would have to be considered in a budgetary context.