Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved for the carer's allowance. [4502/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Under the regulations governing carer's allowance, a person may participate in employment for a maximum of ten hours per week. Following the necessary investigations to determine the person's entitlement to this allowance, the application was refused on the grounds that the person concerned is employed in excess of the ten hours allowed each week. The person concerned was notified of this decision on 1 February 2005, the reason for it and of his right to appeal to the social welfare appeals office. Under social welfare legislation decisions on claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 309: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a decision will be made on the application of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 1 for disability allowance. [4575/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The person's claim for disability allowance was refused by a deciding officer following an examination by a medical assessor of the Department who expressed the view that he was not medically qualified for this payment. He appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office and in the context of his appeal he was examined by another medical assessor who was also of the opinion that he did not satisfy the relevant medical eligibility criteria. Following an oral hearing the appeals officer, having considered all the available evidence, was not satisfied that the person is substantially handicapped to the degree that would prevent him from undertaking suitable employment. Notification of the decision has issued to the person concerned. Under social welfare legislation decisions on claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason community welfare officers were instructed not to support people through the supplementary welfare allowance who required transport for hospital appointments; if he will review this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4588/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, provides for exceptional needs payments to be made to assist with essential, once-off expenditure in exceptional circumstances. There is no automatic entitlement to an exceptional needs payment. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the household concerned. Account is also taken of the availability of an alternative source to meet the need, for example, entitlements or relevant services from other state agencies.

The type of assistance referred to by the Deputy is appropriate to the ambulance service, which operates in each of the Health Service Executive regions. This service is funded to provide transport, including the hiring of taxis if necessary, to bring patients and clients to and from hospital appointments.

In response to various enquiries from the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive from time to time regarding this matter, the advice by my Department has been that it is not appropriate that the supplementary welfare allowance scheme be used to supplement or substitute for ambulance or related hospital transport services. This remains the position. This advice does not affect the general discretion available to community welfare officers to issue an exceptional needs payment to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation, which might arise.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 311: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 is entitled to free fuel allowance. [4619/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has not submitted an application for fuel allowance. The person concerned does not qualify for the allowance as the total weekly income of her household exceeds the qualifying income threshold, which in her case, is €374.99 per week.

The person concerned is a qualified adult on her husband's old age contributory pension and their current weekly rate of payment is €165.40 comprising €96.10 personal rate and €69.30 qualified adult allowance. Her husband also has income from an occupational pension of €16,884 per year in 2003, which is €324.69 per week, giving a total household income of €490.09 per week.

If the person concerned has special heating needs and is unable to provide for those needs, she may qualify for a heating payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. A heating supplement is available under that scheme for people who require extra heating in their homes because of ill health or infirmity. An application for this supplement may be made through her local community welfare officer.

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 312: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the household benefits package in order that a person in receipt of a qualifying payment but living with an adult child in employment is eligible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4654/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity or gas allowance, telephone allowance and free television licence schemes is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who fulfil a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. People aged over 70 years of age can qualify regardless of their income or household composition.

To be eligible for the schemes a person who is under 70 years of age must, as well as receiving a qualifying payment, be living alone or with an excepted person. In this regard, a child under 18 or, if in full-time education, 22, is regarded as an excepted person. However, an adult or child who is in employment is not regarded as an excepted person for the purpose of the schemes, and this is considered to be a reasonable approach.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 313: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the means testing of persons whose savings from their non-contributory old age pension payments only has put them over the means threshold; if the threshold has not increased proportionately with pension rates over the past 25 years; if he will review this situation and make changes in same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4916/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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In assessing means for social assistance purposes account is taken of any cash income the person may have, together with the value of capital and property, except the home. Capital may include the following: stocks and shares of every description, which are assessed according to their current market value; savings certificates, bonds, national instalment savings, which are assessed according to their current market value; and money invested in a bank, building society etc.

The source of any capital held by a pensioner can and does vary. It can include savings from income while formerly working, savings derived from the sale of property or other assets, savings from occupational or social welfare pensions, gifts, inheritances, accumulated interest or dividends or a combination of these. It would not be possible or practicable to distinguish savings derived from a particular source.

For the purposes of old age non-contributory pension, an initial amount of capital has always been disregarded for means test purposes. This amount was £200 up to 1997 and was increased to £2,000 in that year. In October 2000, the disregard was substantially increased to £10,000. Last October, I requested my Department to carry out a comprehensive examination of the current arrangements for the assessment of capital, particularly in so far as they apply to SSIAs, with a view to bringing forward proposals in budget 2005. On budget day, I was pleased to announce that the amount of capital disregarded for means test purposes for all schemes, except supplementary welfare allowance, will be increased from €12,694.38 to 420,000, an increase of more than 47,300. The enhanced disregard applies to all capital regardless of where it is held, be it in an SSIA, a credit union, with An Post or any other account with a bank or other financial institution.

The new arrangements will mean that a single non-contributory pensioner, with no other means, can have capital of up to €28,000 and still qualify for a pension at the maximum rate. This figure is doubled in the case of a pensioner couple. As a consequence of the increases in the capital disregards in 2000 and, now in 2005, the capital disregard has increased at a rate significantly ahead of increases in the weekly rates. Since 1980, the weekly rate of old age non-contributory pension has increased by approximately 520% while the capital disregard has increased by nearly 8,000%.

The new arrangements announced by me on budget day are designed to ensure that social welfare means testing arrangements do not act as a disincentive to claimants to become savers or penalise those who have been regular savers in the past.