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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 10 May 2000

Vol. 518 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

407 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of claims disallowed from January 1999 to 2000 on the grounds that the person in question failed to satisfy the statutory conditions of genuinely seeking suitable employment, giving details for both unemployment assistance and unemployment benefit claims; and the number of these claims successfully appealed. [12327/00]

Michael Ring

Ceist:

438 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people who have had their unemployment assistance and unemployment benefit disallowed on a monthly and county to county basis since January 1999. [12987/00]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 407 and 438 together.

To be entitled to an unemployment payment a person must satisfy the statutory conditions of being capable of, available for and genuinely seeking but unable to obtain suitable employ ment. Where a deciding officer decides that a person does not fulfil the conditions the claim is formally disallowed.
From January 1999 to end March 2000 a total of 5,637 claims were disallowed on the grounds that the person in question failed to satisfy the statutory condition of genuinely seeking suitable employment. Of these 2,499 were claiming unemployment benefit and 3,138 were claiming unemployment assistance. In addition, 2,827 unemployment benefit claims and 6,098 unemployment assistance claims were disallowed on the grounds that the claimants were not available for employment. Details of disallowances for each month are set out in the following table. Figures are not maintained on a county by county basis as the geographical areas covered by social welfare local offices cut across county boundaries in many instances.
Apart from those whose claims were disallowed for failure to fulfil the statutory conditions substantial numbers of persons withdrew their claims or ceased claiming following interview by my Department. These are not included in the figures quoted.
If a person is dissatisfied with the deciding officer's decision he or she has a right of appeal to the social welfare appeals office. It is not possible to provide information on the outcome of appeals from the disallowances referred to. However, during 1999, 3,603 appeals relating to unemployment payments were received in that office. Of these, 1,865 related to unemployment assistance and 1,738 to unemployment benefit. These figures include persons disallowed for reasons other than the "not genuinely seeking" and "not available" conditions.
Of the unemployment payment appeals dealt with by the appeals office during the period in question, 31% were decided wholly or partly in favour of the appellant and 69% were not successful.
Unemployment Benefit

1999

Not GSW

Not Available

January

78

147

February

120

188

March

105

178

April

155

191

May

140

157

June

119

173

July

219

176

August

167

148

September

179

131

October

217

214

November

210

237

December

179

193

January 2000

156

181

February

183

244

March

272

269

Total
2,499
2,827
Unemployment Assistance

1999

Not GSW

Not Available

January110
371
February124
382
March151
328
April214
377
May179
303
June162
361
July212
472
August206
410
September157
424
October242
543
November231
458
December235
365
January 2000244
393
February304
435
March367
476
Total
3,138
6,098

Deirdre Clune

Ceist:

408 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a blind person cannot avail of the free travel pass at peak hours outside Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12338/00]

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

An unrestricted free travel pass is issued to all visually impaired people under age 18 which enables them to travel during the normal restricted times. In addition, they are also issued with an unrestricted companion free travel pass that allows a person, aged 16 or over, to accompany the pass holder free of charge. Visually impaired people over 18 years who are attending a full-time long-term rehabilitative course recognised by this Department are also entitled to an unrestricted free travel pass. However, persons in open work situations are subject to the time restrictions of the pass.

Time restrictions have been a feature of the free travel scheme since its inception on city bus services in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. There are no peak time travel restrictions on DART or suburban rail services provided by CIE and private transport operators in other parts of the country.

The central issue in regard to time restrictions relates to capacity constraints. Time restrictions are in place because the transport companies concerned are under severe pressure from commuters travelling to and from work and school in the morning and evening.

Ceist:

409 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to raise to £100 per week the disability allowance so people with disabilities can enjoy an improved quality of life; if he has received representations from the National Representative Council for People with Disabilities on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12380/00]

Ulick Burke

Ceist:

411 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to increase the disability allowance to £100 as requested by the National Representative Council of People with Disabilities in order to bring the allowance above the poverty line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12452/00]

John Gormley

Ceist:

418 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on whether disability allowance should be immediately raised to £100 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12479/00]

Nora Owen

Ceist:

433 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he has any proposals to increase the disability allowance for people with disabilities to £100 per week, as requested by the National Representative Council recently, given that there is a strong feeling that the 350,000 people with disabilities have not benefited from the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12975/00]

Seán Ryan

Ceist:

435 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he intends to respond favourably to the appeal by the National Representative Council, which represents people with disabilities, in its efforts to have the disability allowance raised to £100 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12982/00]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 409, 411, 418, 433 and 435 together.

Last December's social welfare budget package, which is the biggest ever social welfare budget allocation amounting to over £428 million on a full year basis, provides, inter alia, for a £4 a week increase in social welfare payments in general, including disability allowance. With an expected annual average inflation rate of 3% for 2000, this year's increases will be ahead of expected inflation, representing a real increase of 2.3% for recipients of disability allowance. In addition, special increases in the rates of qualified adult allowances are being provided as part of an overall strategy to increase this allowance to 70% of the main rate over the next three budgets. This means that the couple rate of disability allowance will increase by £7.80 a week, 6.7%, which represents a real increase of 3.6%.

As part of the process of aligning tax and social welfare changes by 2001, these increases are being paid four weeks earlier this year, from the beginning of May. This means that some 51,200 recipients of disability allowance will receive the increased rates of payment four weeks earlier than in previous years.
In addition to the increases in the weekly rates of social welfare payments, last December's budget also provided for a number of other improvements for people with disabilities, including the payment of full-rate disability allowance to those in full-time residential care who are currently receiving a half-rate payment, which will result in an increase of £40.70 a week in such cases; and a 50% increase, from £50 to £75 a week, in the amount of income from rehabilitative employment which is disregarded for disability allowance purposes. This enhanced disregard has also been extended to those in rehabilitative self-employment.
The submission made by the National Representative Council, NRC, which proposes increasing the disability allowance to £100 a week, raises two separate issues, namely, the adequacy of social welfare payment rates and the question of the additional costs associated with disability.
With regard to the adequacy of social welfare rates, including the rate of disability allowance, it should be noted that the recently ratified Programme for Prosperity and Fairness provides that over the next three years all rates of social welfare will be increased in real terms and substantial progress will be made towards a target of £100 a week for the lower rates of payment.
The NRC has proposed that the rate of disability allowance be increased to £100 per week to compensate for the additional costs associated with disability. However, it should be noted that, in addressing the question of these additional costs, the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities distinguished between income maintenance needs and the additional costs associated with a disability. The commission recognised that people with disabilities incur additional costs regardless of whether they are in receipt of a social welfare payment or are in employment. It was for this reason they recommended that the additional costs associated with disability should be met through the introduction of a separate costs of disability payment to be administered by the Department of Health and Children and which would be paid regardless of the person's employment status.
In this regard, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contains a commitment that the Departments of Health and Children, Social, Community and Family Affairs and Finance will set up and participate in a working group which will consult with the social partners to examine the feasibility of introducing a costs of disability payment.
The outcome of the work of this group will be important in informing future policy in this area, and I look forward to receiving the results in due course.

Seán Haughey

Ceist:

410 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the measures he has taken since 1997 to improve the position of the elderly; his future proposals in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12450/00]

The following sets out the substantial list of improvements which have been undertaken by this Government in order to significantly improve the position of older people.

An Action Programme for the Millennium set a target old age pension rate of £100 by 2002. In last year's review of this Programme, the Government committed to the early achievement of the £100 commitment and, furthermore, extended it to all social welfare old age pensions by 2002. In addition, the review commits to increasing old age pensions in line with average industrial earnings over the lifetime of this Government. We are well on the way to achieving this with significant real increases in pensions rates over the last three budgets. In 1997 the maximum rate of the old age contributory pension at £78 per week equated to 28% of average industrial earnings. From this month the rate at £96.00 per week equates to over 30%.

With the Social Welfare Act, 2000, the increases in the weekly payment have taken effect four weeks earlier than last year. Next year, I intend to bring forward this implementation date to coincide with the start of the tax year in early April 2001. I have also provided for a significant improvement in the structure of the rates band under the old age contributory and retirement pensions. From 5 May some 38,000 pensioners, who are on reduced rate old age contributory and retirement pensions, ranging from £81.90 to £86.60 per week have had their personal rate of pension increased to £94.10.

In April 1999 I introduced a special old age contributory pension for self-employed people. This special pension is available to self employed people who were aged 56 or over in April 1988, and who have, at least, five years contributions paid since then. Payment is at a flat-rate of 50% of the standard maximum rate with equivalent increases for adult and child dependants.

In this year's Social Welfare Act, I introduced a special pension targeted at people who had paid contributions prior to 1953 but failed to qualify for an old age contributory pension due to the operation of the yearly average test. This special pension is payable from this May, and is a flat rate pension, payable at 50% of the maximum personal rate, to any person who became insurably employed prior to 1953 and who, due to the yearly average rule, failed to qualify for pension or qualified for a pension at less than 50%, namely, £48 per week from May, of the standard maximum rate. To qualify, a person must have paid, at least, 260 contributions which may comprise all pre-53 contributions or a combination of pre and post-1953 insurance.

In November 1997, the minimum yearly average requirement for the old age contributory pension was reduced from 20 to ten. People with a yearly average of between ten to 14 contributions now receive a pension of 50% of the standard maximum rate, while those with a yearly average of between 15 to 19 receive payment at 75% of the standard maximum rate.
I recognise that issues remain to be addressed in the area of homemakers. Therefore, I have asked my Department to review the existing arrangements for homemakers and bring forward proposals which I will consider in a budgetary context.
A review of the free schemes was recently published by the policy institute, Trinity College, Dublin. The review put forward 12 priority proposals for consideration. I am pleased to say that I have already implemented, in budget 2000, two of these proposals as follows: provision for the extension of the free schemes to all people over 75 years of age regardless of their income or household composition, with effect from October 2000; provision for the extension of the free schemes to all people over 75 years of age regardless of their income or household composition, with effect from October 2000; free electricity allowance and free TV licence schemes to be extended to qualified carers, also with effect from October 2000.
I also intend to move towards the establishment of a single household benefits scheme in future budgets. This will amalgamate the existing separate free schemes administered by my Department into a single household benefits scheme with a streamlined application process.
From October 2000 new arrangements are to be introduced for the assessment of capital for non-contributory pensions. The first £10,000 of capital will be completely disregarded. Capital between £10,000 and £20,000 will be assessed on the basis of £1 weekly means for each £1,000 of capital; capital between £20,000 and £30,000 will be assessed on the basis of £2 weekly means for each £1,000 of capital, and capital above £30,000 will be assessed on the basis of £4 weekly means for each £1,000 of capital. These limits will be doubled in the case of a married couple. Also from October 2000, tapering of the qualified adult allowance is to be extended to recipients of the old age contributory and retirement pensions, to allow for an income range for a qualified adult of between £70 and £135.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

412 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when an unemployment benefit payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that he has submitted four letters as proof that he is actively and genuinely seeking work. [12466/00]

To qualify for an unemployment payment a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work. The person concerned made a repeat claim for unemployment benefit on 8 February 2000. He was asked to provide details of his efforts to find work. Based on his response, a deciding officer disallowed his claim from 8 February 2000 on the grounds that he was not genuinely seeking work. The person concerned appealed this decision to the independent appeals office. On 3 April 2000, an appeals officer upheld the deciding officer's decision. An appeals officer's decision is final in the absence of new facts or fresh evidence.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

413 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo was not approved in respect of a free fuel allowance. [12467/00]

The person concerned is in receipt of incapacity benefit from the United Kingdom. He applied for a fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme on 1 December 1999 but was refused this allowance as he did not satisfy the means condition.

The national fuel scheme applies to persons in receipt of long-term social welfare, health board or certain social security payments from other jurisdictions who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. In order to be eligible, a person must be living alone or with persons who come within certain categories and must also satisfy a means test. The means condition currently applied is that any additional household income, over the relevant maximum pension rate, must not exceed £30 per week.

At the time of his application the person concerned was in receipt of incapacity benefit from the UK of £102.41 per week sterling. Due to the exchange rate of the Irish punt against sterling the actual value of his UK payment in Irish punts was £124.88. As the corresponding maximum personal rate of an Irish invalidity pension was £75.20 weekly this meant that he exceeded the £30 income limit for receipt of fuel allowance. The movement in the exchange rate in the meantime has increased the value of his payment in Irish punt terms.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

414 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo, who is actively seeking work, has been refused unemployment benefit. [12468/00]

To qualify for an unemployment payment a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work. The person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 3 April 2000. She was asked to provide details of her efforts to find work. Based on her response, a deciding officer disallowed her claim from 3 April 2000 on the grounds that she was not genuinely seeking work. It is open to the person concerned to appeal this decision and a form for this purpose has been issued to her.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

415 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the costs to operate the free fuel scheme from April to October annually; the estimated cost of operating this scheme all year round. [12469/00]

Michael Ring

Ceist:

416 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to extend the free fuel scheme to the full year. [12470/00]

Ceist:

425 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will extend the fuel allowance to include May and June to ensure that all older people live in warm homes; if he will evaluate the cost of this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12633/00]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 415, 416 and 425 together.

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, regardless of the temperature. As a consequence, there may be a small number of occasions when the allowance is not paid even though temperatures are unseasonably low and equally, the allowance is paid at times when temperatures are above the seasonal norm.

Expenditure on the national fuel scheme increased by approximately 20% in the six years from £37.5 million in 1993 to £44.9 million in 1998. A sum of £46.4 million was provided in the Estimates for the scheme for the 1999-2000 fuel season which has just ended. The exact cost of the scheme is not available at this time.

Based on the estimates for the fuel season just ended the cost of extending the fuel season for the full year would be an additional £46.4 million. To extend the duration of the scheme to include the months of May and June would cost an additional £1.8 million per week amounting to an additional £16 million for the two months in question. An increase of this magnitude in the cost of the scheme could only be considered in a budgetary context. I have no plans at this time to extend the fuel season.

Although the national fuel scheme operates for a fixed period, there is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs at any time of the year. This operates in addition to the national fuel scheme. Under the SWA scheme, a person who has exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity may qualify for a heating supplement. This can be paid as a weekly supplement in addition to other social welfare payments. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the community welfare officer at the local health centre.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

417 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the special consideration, if any, he has given to actors who, by the nature of their work, are unemployed from time to time, but are generally faced with the response from the Minister's officials that where a person cannot show that they are making serious efforts to find work, their unemployment benefit payment will be stopped, and that they may not restrict their job-seeking efforts to particular sectors where no work is currently available. [12474/00]

Social welfare legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance. In applying the legislation, deciding officers do not treat actors any differently from any other unemployment benefit or assistance claimant.

Where a person is seeking work in his or her usual employment and there is a reasonable prospect of securing work of that nature, he or she would normally satisfy the conditions for receipt of payment. However, if there is no employment available within a specialised field within a reasonable period of time, the unemployed person would be expected to broaden his or her search so as to include other types of employment.

After a period of unemployment, a person would be expected to accept any employment for which he or she is qualified. Where a person is dissatisfied with a decision made by a deciding officer he or she may appeal this decision to the independent social welfare appeals office.

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