Michael Creed
Ceist:330 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the range of assistance available to widows under 75 years of age and living with family members. [27354/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The widow(er)'s pension schemes, which are not age related, recognise the particular difficulties that arise for people following the death of a spouse.
Widows or widowers who satisfy the necessary PRSI contribution conditions qualify for the widow(er)'s contributory pension – WCP. Widows or widowers who do not qualify for the contributory pension may, subject to a means test, receive a widows or widowers non-contributory pension – WNCP – or, if they have a qualified child, a one-parent family payment – OFP.
This Government is committed to achieving a rate of £100 per week for all older people in receipt of social welfare pensions.
In this regard, the weekly rate of the WCP was increased to £89.10 in May 2000 for those aged over 66 while the maximum rate of the WNCP and OFP was increased to £85.50 per week.
The maximum rate of the WCP for those aged under 66 is £81.10 per week and the equivalent rate for the WNCP and OFP is £77.50. Child dependent allowances which range from £15.20 to £17.00 per week, depending on the payment involved, are also paid where appropriate. Recipients of the OFP may also earn up to £115.38 per week without any loss of payment.
All widow(er)s over 66 years of age are entitled to avail of the free travel scheme. Those over 66 years of age may also have access to the free electricity and free telephone rental schemes. In order to qualify for these schemes they must be in receipt of a qualifying payment or satisfy a means test and be living alone or with an excepted person. An excepted person can include a qualified adult, dependent children, a person who is disabled, someone who would qualify for the schemes in their own right or someone who gives the pensioner or someone living with the pensioner full-time care and attention. Special measures are in place to ensure that households do not suffer the loss of entitlements following the death of a spouse. Widows or widowers aged between 60 to 65 whose late spouse had been in receipt of the free schemes retain that entitlement provided they continue to satisfy the qualifying conditions.
There are also a number of additional supports available to widowed people in the period immediately after a bereavement. A bereavement grant of £500 is payable on the death of an insured person. A widowed parent's grant of £1,000 is available to provide additional support for those with dependent children who qualify for a WCP, an OFP or a bereavement grant. Where the deceased was a social welfare recipient arrangements are in place to continue his or her payments to the widow or widower for six weeks after the bereavement.
A person in receipt of a widows or widowers pension may also receive, when appropriate, half the personal rate of a number insurance type benefits, including disability benefit or unemployment benefit, in addition to their pension payment.
The position with regard to social welfare provision for widowed people will be kept under review.
Jim Higgins
Ceist:331 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has to change the criteria for recipients of the carer's allowance who are taking care of more than two persons at any time. [27358/00]
The carer's allowance is a social assistance payment which provides income support to carers on low incomes who look after people, including children, who need full time care and attention.
Based on the research carried out in the review of the carer's allowance, which was published by my Department in October 1998, the number of full-time carers is estimated to be 50,000 people, covering carers of older people and adults and children with disabilities. There are currently 16,302 carers in receipt of carer's allowance. These figures show that 33% of full-time carers are in receipt of a carer's allowance payment which is an increase of 77% in the number of carers in receipt of the allowance since this Government took office. This large increase is reflected in the expenditure on carer's allowance, which was £36.5 million in 1997 and is projected to be £78.3 million this year, representing an increase of 115%. In June 1997, the allowance for carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person was increased to 150% of their existing entitlement. There are currently 1,353 carers receiving a carer's allowance at this higher rate.
The question of further improvements to the carer's allowance and for carers generally will be considered in a budgetary context, taking account of our key priorities in the care area, as set out in the review of our action programme.