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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 3

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

730 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs is she will address the anomaly which allows cohabiting couples to be assessed jointly for means test purposes, yet one person cannot qualify for the bereavement grant as the partner of the deceased; if she will rectify this anomaly as a matter of urgency; and if she will examine the case of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [19979/02]

Michael Ring

Ceist:

738 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will address the anomaly which allows cohabiting couples to be assessed jointly for means test purposes, yet one person cannot qualify for the widowed parent grant as the partner of the deceased; if she will rectify this anomaly as a matter of urgency; and if she will examine the case of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [20202/02]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 730 and 738 together.

The bereavement grant is based on PRSI contributions and it is payable on the death of an insured person or the spouse or partner. An application form for the bereavement grant has been issued to the person concerned and will be processed as soon as it is received. The widowed parent's grant is payable to widows and widowers with dependent children who qualify for a widow(er)'s contributory pension, one-parent family payment or a bereavement grant. As the person concerned is not a widow, she is not entitled to this payment. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, a health board may make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his/her weekly income.

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