Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
John V. Farrelly
Ceist:
327
Mr. Farrelly
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the reason the Christmas bonus payment is not paid to those on disability benefit; his views on whether the recipients of this benefit are also in need of this extra amount of money; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27231/00]
John Bruton
Ceist:
338
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the reason the Christmas bonus scheme does not apply to those on disability benefit; the plans he has to extend the scheme to cover those on disability benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27615/00]
David Stanton
Ceist:
342
Mr. Stanton
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if he will give details of the proposed Christmas bonus payments for the schemes involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[27834/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 327, 338 and 342 together.
A special Christmas bonus payment was first introduced in December 1980 as a double payment – 100% bonus – and continued at that level until 1984.
In 1985, for the first time, the long-term unemployed were included and, as a consequence of the additional cost involved, the bonus payment was reduced to 75% of normal weekly payment.
In 1986, a specific amount of money was allocated which resulted in the payment of a bonus equivalent to 65% of the normal weekly payment to the same categories of recipients as in 1986.
In 1989, the bonus payment increased to 70% and in 1993, a minimum payment of £20 was introduced.
The Christmas bonus has been paid at a rate equivalent to 70% of a person's normal weekly payment since 1989, subject to a minimum payment of £20. An amount of £46 million was included in my Department's estimates to pay the bonus this year.
In October of this year the Government agreed that the bonus payment would be increased to 100% of the weekly payment at an additional cost of £20 million.
The focus of the Christmas bonus is firmly on long-term welfare payment recipients and any proposal to extend the bonus to persons in receipt of disability benefit would be inconsistent with this basic objective and would create inevitable pressures for its further extension to other short-term categories in the future. It is already open to persons who have been in receipt of disability benefit for at least a year to be assessed for invalidity pension and, if found eligible, to qualify for the Christmas bonus payment.
It is estimated that the cost of extending the 100% Christmas bonus to recipients of disability benefit – which includes those on injury benefit – would be an additional £4.4 million. As the Deputies will be aware, such expenditure would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
The bonus will be paid to recipients of the following payments from my Department: disablement pension; death benefit, by way of pension; old age contributory and non-contributory pension; retirement pension; invalidity pension; widow's and widower's non-contributory pension; orphan's contributory and non-contributory; pension; pre-retirement allowance; blind pension; carer's allowance; one parent family payment; unemployment assistance at the long-term rate; farm assist; disability allowance; payments to people formerly in receipt of deserted wife's benefit and allowance and prisoner's wife's allowance.
Michael Ring
Ceist:
328
Mr. Ring
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo aged 65 years is being refused the free telephone rental allowance.
[27281/00]
Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 years whose late spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes, including free telephone rental retain that entitlement provided that, prior to the death of the spouse or partner, the couple were permanently residing together.
The person concerned is a 65 year old widow whose spouse was not in receipt of the free schemes prior to his death. She applied for a free telephone rental allowance on 2 June 2000. On 5 July 2000 her application was refused on the grounds that she was not herself in receipt of a qualifying payment and her late husband did not have an entitlement which she could retain under the scheme.
It is open to her to apply again when she reaches age 66.
