Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 605: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the eligibility requirements for a claimant to be in receipt of deserted wifes benefit. [20628/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Eligibility for deserted wife's benefit was discontinued with effect from 2 January 1997 with the introduction, on that date, of the one parent family payment.

For claimants prior to 2 January 1997, deserted wife's benefit (DWB) was a payment made to a woman deserted by her husband. Entitlement was based on social insurance contributions paid by the wife or the husband. Wives who were in receipt of payment prior to this cut-off date retained their entitlement to payment.

In order to continue to qualify for a DWB a person must continue to satisfy the following conditions to retain entitlement to the payment. She must:

Have at least 1 qualifying child residing with her if she is under 40 years of age, or

Be over 40, if she has no qualified child and (for those who applied for DWB after 31 August 1992) have earnings not exceeding €20,000 per annum,

Be inadequately maintained by her husband,

Continue to make appropriate efforts to obtain financial maintenance from her husband,

Not have resumed living with her husband, and

Not be cohabiting with another person as husband and wife.

Prior to 31 August 1992, there was no earnings limit in place for DWB claimants. An earnings limit was introduced by the Social Welfare Act, 1992. For current DWB recipients who first claimed payment on or after 31 August 1992, an earnings limit of €20,000 applies.

Claimants with income under this amount are entitled to payment of DWB in full. Claimants whose annual income exceeds this threshold will retain entitlement to a half rate payment for a period of six months to ease the impact of losing entitlement to the payment.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 606: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason mentally handicapped people who cannot work due to their disability are not eligible for a bereavement grant to offset funeral expenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20667/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Bereavement Grant is a payment designed to assist families in dealing with death and funeral expenses. It is a scheme that relates specifically to those who have made PRSI contributions and is payable on the death of an insured person, his/her spouse and dependent children under age 18 or under age 22 if in full-time education.

Where there are insufficient PRSI contributions to qualify for bereavement grant a person may receive assistance under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Under this arrangement, the HSE may make a single payment to help meet exceptional expenditure, for example, for funeral expenses, which a family could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their income.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 607: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the decision of his Department not to backdate fuel allowance for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 in view of the fact that they had a long-standing entitlement to it but were unaware of this entitlement. [20747/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. The Fuel Allowance is paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April.

The main eligibility conditions that apply to the Fuel Allowance scheme are:

customers must be in receipt of a qualifying payment,

must either be living alone or with a qualifying dependant,

must satisfy a means test.

Since January 2007, a person may have a combined household income of up to €100 per week over and above the maximum rate of state pension (contributory) or savings/investments of up to €58,000, and still qualify for Fuel Allowance.

The person concerned is in receipt of a State Pension (Contributory) at the maximum rate of €209.30 per week and a living alone allowance of €7.70 per week. He applied for the Fuel Allowance for the first time on 17 June 2007. He qualified for the allowance for the 2007/08 fuel season commencing on 28 September 2007.

With regard to backdating the Fuel Allowance, the customer concerned resides in a Local Authority complex with communal heating arrangements. Such customers could only qualify for a Fuel Allowance from the 2005/2005 fuel season if they satisfied the other conditions of the scheme. As the person concerned had an income which exceeded the means allowed to qualify for the fuel allowance in 2005 and 2006 he would not be entitled to a Fuel Allowance.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 608: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding an application for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance in the name of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20753/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) Scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Applications for the allowance may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. 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 health service executive 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.

The Western Area of the Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for BSCFA from the person concerned. If she wishes to apply, she should contact the Community Welfare Officer at her local health centre as soon as possible to enable her entitlement to an allowance to be determined.