Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 279: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of death benefit pension recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43384/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Death benefit is payable under the Occupational Injuries Scheme. If a person dies as a result of an accident at work or an occupational disease their dependants may receive death benefit payments. Their dependants may also get death benefit if the person at the time of their death, had been getting disablement pension assessed at 50% or more regardless of the cause of death. There are no special PRSI contribution conditions attaching to death benefit: it is sufficient that a person was in employment insurable for occupational injuries benefit purposes.

Death benefit includes widow's or widower's pension, orphan's pension and dependent parents' pension.

Widow's or widower's pension, including increases for dependent children, is payable to a person whose spouse dies as a result of an occupational accident. There are currently 636 customers in receipt of this pension under the occupational benefit scheme. Orphan's pension is payable in respect of a child if the parent, step-parent or person who supported the child dies as a result of an occupational accident. A child is regarded as being an orphan if both parents are dead or one parent is dead, and the other parent is unknown, has abandoned or refused or failed to provide for the child. The child's guardian should apply for the pension. There are currently 5 customers in receipt of orphan's pension in respect of 15 children.

Dependent parents' pension is payable where the person who dies leaves a dependent parent or parents. To qualify, the parent must have been wholly or mainly maintained by the deceased. Because of the expansion of other services this payment has not been claimed for many years. There are currently 7 customers in receipt of dependent parents' pension.

Ivor Callely (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 280: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the fund and the allocation of such fund for marriage, child and bereavement counselling and other services for the years 2000 to 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43385/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department, through the Family Support Agency, has responsibility for a number of initiatives to support families and help prevent relationship breakdown.

The Scheme of Grants for Voluntary Organisations providing Marriage, Child and Bereavement Counselling Services is a non-statutory scheme of once-off grants to voluntary organisations providing a range of family counselling services aimed at enhancing stability in family life, and assisting families and their members to deal with difficult periods which they may experience.

In 2006 over €9 million was provided by the Family Support Agency and a total of 541 organisations countrywide received funding under the scheme. During 2006, the Family Support Agency also commissioned a review of the scheme and preliminary findings from the report indicate that up to 70,000 people benefit from the counselling provided. Some €10 million has been allocated to the scheme for 2007.

The amount of funding allocated for the scheme of grants for each of the years 2000 to 2005 was as follows: