Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 721: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the proposals he has to substantially improve the financial situation of the elderly parents of intellectually disabled children in receipt of the disability allowance where the only income of the parents is the social welfare pension or carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24468/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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From January this year, the old age contributory and non-contributory pensions increased by €10 to €179.30 per week and €166.00 per week respectively. With regard to carer's allowance, the maximum rate of carer's allowance for a carer under 66 years increased from €139.60 to €153.60 per week from January while the maximum rate for a carer over age 66 years increased from €157.80 to €169.80 per week. In addition, all recipients of the carer's allowance receive the household benefits package of free schemes and the annual respite care grant, which increased to €1,000 from June, for each care recipient. A person caring for two or more people also receives an additional 50% on their personal payment.

Provision was made in budget 2005 for the extension of the respite care grant to all carers who are providing full-time care to a person who needs such care from June 2005. The extension benefits carers who are providing full-time care and who are either in receipt of a social welfare payment, for example, widow's pensions, old age pensions, one-parent family payment, disability benefit and invalidity pension, and those who do not receive a weekly social welfare payment from my Department. Further improvements for carers will be considered in a budgetary context in consultation with my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 722: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will restore the MABS supplement to assist persons on low incomes and social welfare with debts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24489/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has overall responsibility for the money advice and budgeting service, MABS, which provides assistance to people who are over-indebted and need intensive help and advice in coping with their debt problems. There are 53 independent companies nationwide operating the service. The service places an emphasis on practical budget based measures that help people to move permanently from dependence on moneylenders and to access alternative sources of low cost credit, particularly through their local credit union.

The MABS service has been allocated €13.62 million this year to ensure the continued development of the service. This represents an increase of €2.2 million or more than 19% on the 2004 allocation. This additional funding will assist the MABS service with a range of developments set out in its recently approved modernisation action plan, including completion of the development of its debt management database and the introduction of new contact methods, particularly through a phone help desk service for initial client contact and advice.

MABS supplements, paid in certain former health boards through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, were ceased in 2003, although any arrangements already in place with existing clients were kept in payment. MABS supplements were never paid in many cases and almost all MABS customers made arrangements with their creditors that did not rely on these supplements. I have no plans to reintroduce such supplements, given the successful arrangements that are in place at MABS outlets throughout the State. It remains open to any person to apply to the community welfare service of the Health Services Executive for any exceptional needs payment or other form of short-term income support through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme if he or she is experiencing particular financial hardship.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 723: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the terms of the bereavement grant to enable persons on low incomes cope with the high cost of funerals of their loved ones; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24514/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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There are various schemes within the social welfare system to assist families in dealing with death and funeral expenses. These include the payment of six weeks social welfare following the death of certain social welfare recipients or their spouse, the payment of a bereavement grant to insured people and their families and the payment of the widowed parent's grant.

The scheme of six weeks payments after death ensures that where a person in receipt of a social welfare payment dies, the social welfare income paid to the surviving spouse or partner is maintained at the same level for the six weeks after the death of the pensioner. The bereavement grant, which is a payment based on PRSI contributions, is designed to assist families in dealing with death and funeral expenses. The grant is payable on the death of an insured person or a family member, including a child under age 18 year or under age 22 years if in full-time education. The amount of the grant is €635. The widowed parent's grant of €1,000 is a scheme designed to assist with the income support needs of widows and widowers with dependent children in the immediate aftermath of a bereavement.

Any change in these arrangements would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 724: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if, in circumstances where employees on low income retain lone parents allowance and the employer wishes to make an additional contribution to a special pension fund, that additional amount will be disregarded as income where otherwise it would result in the loss of the lone parents allowance. [24566/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The one-parent family payment, OFP, is paid to men and women who, for one reason or another, are bringing up children without the support of a partner. In assessing entitlement to OFP, the following items are assessable as means: income from employment or self employment; maintenance payments, including maintenance paid to or for a dependent child; the value of any property one has other than their own home; the value of any investments or savings they may have; and cash income.

For the purposes of assessing income from employment, an employee's gross income is taken into account. Where an employee is a member of an occupational pension scheme and his or her employer is making an employer contribution to that scheme, such contributions do not form part of the gross income of the employee and are, therefore, not assessable for the purposes of one-parent family payment. However, as the Deputy may be aware, my Department is considering the income supports for one-parent families and a special steering group, appointed by the Cabinet sub-committee on social inclusion, will report shortly on its examination of specific policy areas and how they impact on employment opportunities for lone parents.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 725: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position of persons who are on community employment schemes who apply for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24578/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The back to school clothing and footwear, BSCF, allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or HSE payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course, and has household income at or below certain specified levels.

Under the scheme, an allowance of €80 is payable in respect of qualified children aged from two to 11 years. An allowance of €150 is payable in respect of qualified children aged from 12 to 22 years. The community employment scheme, CE, is included, among others, in the list of qualifying payments for the purposes of the BSCFA scheme. Participants in the CE scheme are assessed under the standard rules for BSCFA in the first instance. Those who do not qualify on means grounds but who satisfy the other conditions are eligible to receive BSCFA if their gross household income does not exceed €317.43 per week. Any income received in the form of family income supplement, FIS, is not assessable for the purposes of the €317.43 limit.

The standard income limits for receipt of BSCFA have been increased this year. Consequently, it may be more beneficial for some people on CE and other schemes if their claim is assessed using the standard income test rather than the special test for retention of secondary benefits.

Seán Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 726: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to extend the fuel allowance to include the month of May. [24605/05]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 739: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps he intends to take to increase the weekly amount granted under the fuel allowance scheme in view of the escalating fuel prices; and if he has plans to extend the length of the season for payment. [24913/05]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 754: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will consider increasing the fuel allowance in view of the increased fuel costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25530/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 726, 739 and 754 together.

The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders that are in receipt of long-term social welfare or Health Service Executive payments towards meeting their additional heating needs during the winter season. Under the scheme a fuel allowance of €9 per week is paid to eligible households during a 29 week winter heating period from end September to mid-April each year. An additional €3.90 per week is payable in the designated urban smokeless fuel zones. About 274,000 households receive a fuel allowance, at an expected cost of €85.4 million this year.

In addition over 300,000 pensioners and other households qualify for electricity or gas allowances through the household benefits package, payable towards their heating, light and cooking costs throughout the year, at an overall cost of €108.8 million in 2005. There is also a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. Pensioners and other social welfare groups have received significant increases in their welfare payment rates this year and in recent years. This has improved their income situation considerably in real terms relative to solid fuel cost increases and to price inflation generally. These higher rates of primary payments are payable for a full 52 weeks of the year.

I am currently examining a range of options for additional support to social welfare customers, including those who receive the fuel allowance. An extension of the fuel allowance scheme duration at the end of the season is one such option, though this would have significant cost implications. Extending the fuel season by six weeks to bring it up to the end of May would cost almost €18 million per annum and would have to have regard to other social welfare priorities.