Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 612: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the arrangements he is putting in place for the introduction of the free telephone rental allowance for people who possess mobile telephones but who do not possess a landline; if application forms will issue; the arrangements to be put in place to ensure that pensioners who now possess a mobile telephone and did not previously receive the free telephone rental allowance will now receive same as and from 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10096/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The telephone allowance administered by my Department under the household benefits package is being extended to include mobile telephones effective from April 2007.

The telephone allowance currently applies to fixed line telephones only with a credit made by my Department direct to the supplier (i.e. the telephone company) on the customer's behalf. Under the new arrangements, customers will have the choice to either opt for a direct credit to a telephone company for their landline as at present or for a cash payment in respect of their mobile phone.

Payment of cash direct to customers with mobile phones will enable them to avail of their entitlement and will facilitate customer choice. Arrangements are being made to issue application forms to those customers who previously have notified the Department that they had a mobile telephone.

Martin Brady (Dublin North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 613: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on extending the entitlement to a widow's pension to those persons who have married in a church ceremony only. [10171/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Entitlement to a widow's or widower's pension depends, in the first instance, on the status in law of the relationship between the parties prior to the death of one of them. If the parties, at the date of death, were married within the meaning of the laws of the State, then the survivor of that marriage is a widow or widower for the purposes of the social welfare legislation relating to widow's and widower's pensions. However, a marriage that consists of a church ceremony only does not constitute a legal marriage under the laws of the State. The survivor of that relationship is therefore not regarded as a widow/er of the deceased and it is therefore not considered appropriate to extend the widow's or widower's pension to a person in this situation. The position will be kept under review in the context of any change in the general laws of the State in this area.