Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 1056: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who have received the carer's respite grant in 2006; if he has satisfied himself that all those entitled to same are aware of this grant; if he will make further effort to make them aware; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30090/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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People providing full-time care who are in receipt of carers allowance, carers benefit or prescribed relatives allowance receive the respite care grant automatically, without having to apply for it. The same applies where a constant attendance allowance is in payment. Payment is made on or after the first Thursday in June of the year to which the payment refers. To date in 2006 the grant has been paid to 26,000 people in this category.

Budget 2005 extended entitlement to the grant to all full-time carers irrespective of means or contribution record but subject to certain conditions relating to the provision of full-time care and attention. A section was set up in my Department to process applications from people in this newly entitled category.

The grant in respect of 2006 is payable to people who meet the qualifying conditions on Thursday 1 June 2006. Applications for the 2006 grant from people in this category are being solicited in two phases. Firstly, those who applied for and received the grant in 2005 were written to enclosing a brief questionnaire to establish whether they continued to satisfy the conditions for receipt of the grant in 2006 and, on foot of this initiative, grants have been paid to 5,444 successful applicants.

The second phase of the campaign to identify those people who may be eligible for the grant entails a national awareness campaign to promote awareness of supports for carers, including the respite care grant.

The underlying objective of my Department's information policy is to ensure that all citizens, including carers, are made aware of their entitlements under a broad range of social insurance, social assistance and other supports and are kept informed of changes and improvements as they occur.

Carers have been the target of a number of awareness campaigns undertaken by my Department in recent years. In 2005, a major publicity campaign was undertaken to publicise the availability of the new respite care grant to carers providing full time care. The campaign included advertisements in provincial and national newspapers and a freephone helpline to explain the eligibility conditions for the grant. A comprehensive information article on the respite care grant was prepared by my Department and distributed to all carers support organisations for inclusion in their publications and literature.

Information officers and other staff in my Department involved in providing information to Carers and Community Welfare Officers were provided with comprehensive briefing to enable them to provide guidance and assistance to carers enquiring about the scheme. Posters were widely distributed throughout the country to all local offices of my Department, to the Citizens Information Centres and to some 800 Health Centres for public health nurses, GPs and other health care staff.

My Department is currently conducting a national awareness campaign to promote awareness of supports for carers, including the respite care grant. This campaign, which began last Sunday, 24 September, includes extensive advertising for this week on television, national and regional radio and in the national and regional print media. A LoCall telephone number, 1890 66 22 44, is provided which people can contact for further information.

Comprehensive information on social welfare schemes and supports, including information on the respite care grant, is available from my Department's network of 125 social welfare local offices throughout the country. Information is also available on my Department's website, www.welfare.ie, and any social welfare leaflet or application form can be ordered from our LoCall Leaflet Line 1890 20 23 25.

In addition to the information services provided by my Department, Comhairle, the national information agency under the aegis of my Department, has responsibility for supporting the provision of independent information and advice to citizens. Citizens Information Centres based in 247 locations throughout the country provide information to members of the public on the full range of social services.

My Department will continue to work closely with voluntary and national organisations that provide support to Carers and every opportunity will be taken to promote schemes and services for Carers. The provision of quality information to meet the particular needs of carers is a high priority for my Department in the drive to ensure that carers are aware of and claim their entitlements.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 1057: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who were in receipt of disability benefit, disability allowance and invalidity pension or other such health related scheme payments on 1 January 1997; the number who are receiving similar payments at present; if he has satisfied himself that persons on such schemes are given support to take up part-time work in their own best interest and in an effort to get them back into full time employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30091/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates a number of schemes which provide income support to persons with an illness or disability, including the disability benefit and invalidity pension schemes and the means-tested disability allowance and blind pension. The number of people currently in receipt of these schemes and with comparative numbers for 1997 is: Disability Benefit 66,195 (42,460 in 1997); Invalidity Pension 60,537 (43,046 in 1997); Disability Allowance 81,315 (37,054 in 1997) and Blind Pension 1,959 (2,450 in 1997).

The increase in the number of recipients of the main schemes for illness and disability is reflective of an increased entitlement to benefits arising from the growth of the workforce generally as well as improvements made to the Disability Allowance scheme since its transfer from the then Health Boards in 1996.

Facilitating return to work and participation in the active labour force with a view to assisting people to become more financially independent is one of the main objectives of the social welfare system and a key goal in my Department's Statement of Strategy.

There are a number of specific incentives available within the system to encourage and facilitate people, including people with illness or disabilities, to take-up or return to employment, or to undertake education and training options.

These incentives include exemptions from the general "no work" conditions of the disability benefit and invalidity pension schemes to facilitate people to undertake work of a rehabilitative nature and there are over 6,200 people currently availing of such exemptions. In addition, there are income disregards which fully exempt a portion of earnings (currently €120 per week) from the means-tested disability allowance and blind pension payments and over 6,600 people are currently availing of this disregard.

In order to improve the incentives for people with disabilities to take up and progress within employment, as part of the social welfare budget package 2006, a new 50% withdrawal rate of Disability Allowance and Blind Pension payments has been introduced, effective from June 2006, for earnings above €120 per week and under €350 per week. This measure replaces the previous euro for euro withdrawal above the €120 per week disregard and will mean that a single person can earn up to €390 per week before their Disability Allowance or Blind Pension is fully withdrawn.

Access to the Back to Work Allowance scheme, designed to assist people to return to employment, is also available (subject to certain conditions) to people in receipt of Disability Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension. This is a weekly payment which allows people to take up approved employment while retaining a percentage of their social welfare payment for three years (four years in the case of self-employment) and to retain any secondary benefits to which they have been entitled for that period. There are in excess of 1,400 people availing of the Back to Work Allowance who have been in receipt of illness or disability payments.

Access to the Back to Education scheme (subject to qualifying conditions) is similarly available for people in receipt of the aforementioned schemes. This is an allowance paid at a standard rate, for the duration of the educational course which the person undertakes, at either second or third level. Any secondary benefits to which the person had entitlement are also retained for the duration of the payment. In addition, an annual cost of education allowance is payable at the commencement of each academic year to assist with the purchase of books and other relevant materials. There are currently 695 people participating in the Back to Education scheme who had been receiving disability or illness payments.

My Department has recently published its Disability Sectoral Plan, in accordance with the provisions of the Disability Act, 2005 and the National Disability Strategy. While the primary focus of my Department is on providing and developing income support payments, it also has a role in providing opportunities to encourage and assist people to become less dependent on the social welfare system and to move to a position where they can, to a far greater extent, meet their income needs from employment.

I am also conscious of the need to recognise, in addition to economic outcomes, the potential for advancement through a variety of activation measures, such as furthering education or developing life skills. In this context the sectoral plan outlines a significant proposal for a new economic and social model of participation, based on a life cycle approach for people of all working age, including people with disabilities.

I am committed to ensuring that no individual's talent or contribution is overlooked, and to helping our customers to achieve their full potential, both in terms of participation in the labour market and in wider society.

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1058: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the living alone allowance was last increased; the amount of the payment now if it had been raised in line with inflation since the date of the last increase; if he will undertake to increase same to at least compensate for inflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30092/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The living alone allowance or living alone increase as it is now known, is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people under 66 years of age who are living alone and who receive payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes. The increase is intended as a contribution towards the additional costs people face when they live alone. The payment was last increased in 1996. If it had increased each year in line with inflation the rate of payment would now be around €10.13 per week.

The living alone increase is a targeted measure aimed at a particular group of pensioners. However, the policy in relation to support for pensioners has been, for many years, to give priority to increasing the personal rates of pension rather than focusing on payments such as the living alone increase. This approach ensures that resources are used to improve the position of all pensioners.

The Government is committed to increasing the level of the basic State pension to €200 per week by 2007. Further significant progress towards achieving this target was made in Budget 2006, which provided for increases in pensions of up to €14 and €16 per week. The maximum rate of the old age contributory pension is now €193.30 per week with the maximum non-contributory pension paid at €182 per week.

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1059: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on extending the continuation of child benefit payments until the age of 22 in respect of young people who are in full-time education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30093/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Unlike other social welfare payments requiring qualifying contributions or assessment of means, child benefit is a universal payment, paid in respect of children up to the age of 16 years regardless of the level or source of parental income. It continues to be paid in respect of children up to age 19 who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability.

The policy of the Government over the past number of years has been to substantially increase the amount spent on child benefit for all families. Commitment to this policy is reflected in the significant resources invested in the scheme since 2001, increasing monthly payments to €150.00 for each of the first two children and €185.00 for the third and subsequent children from April 2006, increases of €96.04 (177%) and €113.89 (160%) respectively. According to figures collected by the Central Statistics Office under the Quarterly National Household Survey for the period March 2006 to May 2006, there were an estimated 88,600 students aged from 19 years up to 22 years. Extending child benefit to this category would therefore entail substantial cost, estimated to be in the region of €167 million annually.

In recognition of the need to target limited available resources at persons on low incomes with children in full-time education, a number of provisions have been introduced, including the extension of entitlement to child dependant allowance to age 22 where the parent of a full-time student (including third level) is in receipt of either a long-term social welfare payment, or a short-term social welfare payment for six months or more (short-term schemes include such payments as Unemployment Benefit and Assistance, Disability Benefit and Supplementary Welfare Allowance).

In addition, in-work cash payments are provided to low-paid employees with families through the family income supplement (FIS) scheme. Under this scheme, a qualified child is any child under the age of 18 or aged 18 to 22 if in full-time education. This supplement is paid where a family's weekly income is below a specified income limit for the family size, and is calculated at 60% of the difference between the net family income (gross pay less tax, PRSI, health contribution, superannuation) and the relevant income limit. Further information regarding the FIS scheme can be obtained from any local office of the Department.

I will continue to keep further improvements to the child benefit scheme under regularreview.

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 1060: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his progress in reviewing the free telephone allowance with a view to extending it to include mobile phones; if he will confirm that the fundamental review of the household benefits package has been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30094/06]

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 primary objective of the telephone allowance scheme is to ensure access to help in an emergency and to provide an element of security. A secondary objective is to encourage social contact and to assist in the prevention of social isolation for those living alone.

The administrative and technical arrangements for payment of the household benefits were originally designed for a relationship with a single provider per utility market and are not sustainable in a deregulated energy market environment with multiple service providers.

However, I am committed to the development of the telephone allowance scheme to respond to the expanding telecommunications market and to facilitate greater customer choice of telephone services including the use of mobile phones. This is particularly important given the high level of mobile phone ownership in Ireland now and the fact that some households do not have land lines at all.

My Department has carried out a fundamental review of the operational arrangements with the various service providers which examined the position regarding the opening up of the telecommunications market, including mobile phone services and the impact this will have on the telephone allowance.

When considering the extension of this scheme to cover mobile phones, there are administrative and technical issues to be resolved both internally within the department and externally in the market. My Department is currently in discussion with the various stakeholders with a view to resolving their issues in the near future.