Michael Ring
Ceist:480 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo did not receive the six weeks payment after death of their spouse. [4504/03]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Social welfare regulations provide for the payment of disability benefit to a spouse for a period of six weeks after the date of death provided an increase in respect of a spouse was in payment on the claim.
The person concerned is in receipt of an invalidity pension since 31 August 2000. As she was in receipt of an invalidity pension in her own right at the time of her husband's death she is not entitled to six weeks payment of disability benefit following his death.
She is currently in receipt of an invalidity pension at the weekly rate of €130.30 plus living alone allowance at the weekly rate of €7.70.
Michael Ring
Ceist:481 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in England will qualify for an old age contributory pension. [4505/03]
Michael Ring
Ceist:483 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in England will qualify for an old age pro rata contributory pension; the number of stamps this person has; the amount of pension they will qualify for; and when it will be paid. [4577/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 481 and 483 together as they relate to the same person.
There is no trace of receipt of an application for a pension from the person concerned. In the circumstances my Department does not have the details of employment in other member states of the EU to give the information requested by the Deputy. As he is resident in England, the Department of Social Security has now been requested to forward the necessary details. When they are received his entitlement to an EU pro rata pension will be examined and he will be advised of the position in due course. He has a total of 79 Irish contributions paid which would not be sufficient to qualify for a basic old age contributory pension.
Michael Ring
Ceist:482 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is not being given unemployment benefit in view of the fact that they are only working a three day week. [4575/03]
To qualify for unemployment benefit a person must sustain a substantial loss of employment. In order to satisfy this condition the number of days worked in any week must be less than the number of days normally worked in a representative period prior to the date of claim.
The person concerned made an application for unemployment benefit on 23 January. Her employer has been requested to provide details of her pattern of employment in the 52 weeks prior to the date of her claim. On receipt of this information a decision will be made on her unemployment benefit claim as soon as possible and she will be notified of the outcome.
The person concerned was also advised to apply for unemployment assistance. A deciding officer disallowed her unemployment assistance claim on the grounds that her means exceed the weekly rate of unemployment assistance payable in her case.
Question No. 483 answered with Question No. 481.
Michael Ring
Ceist:484 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a free travel pass holder has to pay for the first 20 miles of a journey from Dublin to Mayo by bus at a cost of ?6; if this is the case for bus journeys from Dublin to Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4578/03]
Since the inception of the free travel scheme, there have been peak time restrictions on free travel services on Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann provincial city services in Cork and Limerick. These restrictions arise because of pressure on bus capacity at peak commuter times.
If a free travel passholder wishes to depart from Dublin, Cork or Limerick on a Bus Éireann long distance service on a Friday in the peak period between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. he or she would be charged a fare for the first 20 miles of the journey. The remainder of the journey is free. Similarly, he or she would be required to pay a fare if they used Dublin Bus services at peak times.
The restrictions do not apply in the case of people with learning disabilities, people attending long-term rehabilitation courses or certain work experience programmes and certain other disabled or blind people. These people are issued with an unrestricted free travel pass which enables them to travel during the normally restricted travel times.
The free travel scheme was introduced, inter alia, to utilise spare off-peak capacity on public transport services. Any general lifting of the time restrictions for free travel passholders could cause significant extra capacity problems for urban transport operators and for other commuters. This issue is kept under review with a view to identifying the scope for wider access by passholders where circumstances allow.
John McGuinness
Ceist:485 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if disability benefit payment will continue in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [4581/03]
The person concerned qualified for disability benefit from 6 January.
The person concerned having been refused disability benefit in 2002 because of an insufficient insurance record claimed disability allowance and was disallowed. She appealed the disallowance and was examined by a medical assessor of my Department on 15 January. The medical assessor expressed the opinion that the person concerned was not qualified for disability allowance which is a long-term payment but remains incapable of work.
Her insurance record qualifies her for disability benefit from 6 January. Due to an administrative error payment of disability benefit was discontinued from 24 January. That error is regretted. Payment has since been restored and all payment due to 10 February, the date of the latest medical certificate, has been issued.