Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if, when a person reaches the age of eligibility for the old age pension, his Department informs that person by letter that they are eligible and that they should contact his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11892/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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A person approaching pension age who is in receipt of a social welfare payment is advised to apply for the pension three months in advance of reaching pension age. The onus remains on the person to complete the application form and submit this to the Department. About 30% of all those who apply for an old age pension are notified under this process.

The social security authorities in a country covered by the EU regulations or bilateral agreements notify my Department in advance of a person reaching pension age. Last year, to enhance early application for pensions I initiated a series of radio advertisements to bring people's attention to the availability of pension entitlements and to remind them to apply in good time for their benefits. The campaign was followed up with interviews on local radio shows.

Staff in my Department's network of local offices and branch offices promote the availability of pensions as part of their normal work. Claim forms and pension information leaflets are available through my Department's offices throughout the country, at citizen's information centres, Comhairle, and post offices. Information is also available from my Department's information office in Dublin and from the pensions services office, Sligo. Claim forms and information leaflets are also available by telephoning LoCall 1890 20 23 25 or from my Departments website at www.welfare.ie

My Department is developing new generation information technology systems which will facilitate more customer-centred services. These developments, as part of my Department's service delivery modernisation programme, will allow my Department to be more responsive to customers needs. As part of this process my Department is developing methods to proactively invite pension customers to claim their pension entitlements.

It is intended that, over time, the number of people contacted in advance of reaching pension age and advised to apply for a pension will increase. My Department is actively considering a number of approaches to improving this service. These include better use of existing arrangements and enhancements such as automatic notification to those eligible to receive pensions.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress made in his discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding a possible waiver scheme for social welfare recipients who face serious economic hardship due to the huge increase in local authority charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11840/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has held discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding aspects of the arrangements governing the collection and disposal of domestic waste. The matter is also being discussed through the social partnership process.

The discussions between my Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government have focused on establishing the facts about the level of charges for domestic waste management and the increasing role played by commercial operators in this area.

It is clear from those discussions that this is a complex and evolving issue. The range of charges imposed varies quite considerably from area to area and from operator to operator. In addition, even where the total charges imposed by operators may be similar, the charging regimes vary quite considerably.

The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as stated by my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, a matter for the each local authority and a number have done so.

The introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue is not considered feasible given the wide range of charging regimes and cost levels that exist in respect of waste management throughout the State. Any system put in place to assist people who rely on private domestic waste collection would have to be sensitive to the different local arrangements.

I will continue to monitor the situation with a view to ensuring that any necessary arrangements are in place locally to avoid hardship for people on social welfare payments and others on low incomes.