Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 382: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will extend the household benefits package and free travel scheme to all widows and widowers irrespective of their age; the estimated costs of such a proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31396/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and 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 satisfy 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.

Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the household benefits package retain that entitlement to ensure that households do not suffer a loss of entitlements following the death of a spouse. The free travel scheme, is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as disability allowance, invalidity pension and blind person's pension.

The estimated cost of extending the household benefits package and the free travel scheme to all widows and widowers irrespective of their age would be some €45 million. A range of proposals, including those referred to by the Deputy, have been made to extend the coverage of the household benefits package and the free travel scheme. These proposals are kept under review in the context of the objectives of the scheme and budgetary resources.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 383: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of the farm assist payment on a county basis; and the comparative figure for this time last year. [31401/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the deputy is contained in the following tabular statement.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will extend the Christmas bonus to include persons on short-term payments such as short-term unemployment payments, disability, maternity benefit and carers benefit; the estimated cost of extending the scheme; the current cost to the Exchequer of the scheme; the number of persons approximately who are in receipt of short-term payments and, therefore, are excluded from the Christmas bonus payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31402/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The Christmas bonus will again be paid this year to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments, at a rate equivalent to 100% of the person's normal weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of €30. This measure will cost an estimated €139.3 million in 2005 and will benefit some 1.2 million persons comprising 835,000 recipients and 384,000 dependents.

The estimated cost of extending the Christmas bonus to all persons in receipt of short-term payments, that is, short-term unemployment payments, disability benefit, maternity benefit, carers benefit, family income supplement and basic supplementary welfare allowance, is €31 million. Approximately 198,000 persons are receiving these short-term payments.

I am satisfied that the Christmas bonus payment is effectively and appropriately targeted. The focus of the bonus has always been on persons who rely on the social welfare system for financial support over the long-term. There are no plans to extend entitlement to the short-term schemes, having regard to the resources available and the significant cost which would be involved.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time for each claim or payment within his Department at present. [31403/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may include establishment of the customer's social insurance record, the provision of medical certificates of incapacity, verification of a customer's identity, satisfying residency conditions and an assessment of means where appropriate. In some cases there is an unavoidable time lag involved in making the necessary inquiries to enable decisions to be made. Time can also elapse where the applicants do not supply all the necessary information in support of their claim. Details of the average processing times for new claims for the month of September 2005, and year to date including figures to the end of September, on a scheme by scheme basis, are set out in the following tabular statement.