Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the conditions under which bereavement grants are allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31355/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The bereavement grant is a payment designed to assist families 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.

The grant is payable if the relevant insured person had:

156 PRSI contributions paid since entry into insurable employment

or

at least 26 PRSI contributions paid since entry into insurable employment,

and either,

39 PRSI contributions paid or credited in the Relevant Tax Year

or

a yearly average of 39 PRSI contributions paid or credited over the 3 or 5 tax years before the death occurred or pension age was reached (age 66 at present)

or

a yearly average of 26 PRSI contributions paid or credited since 1979 (or since starting work if later) and the end of the tax year before the death occurred or pension age was reached (age 66 at present)

or

a yearly average of 26 PRSI contributions paid or credited since 1st October 1970 (or since starting work if later) and the end of the tax year before the death occurred or pension age was reached (age 66 at present).

The relevant tax year is the last complete tax year before the year in which the death occurs or pension age was reached.

Budget 2007 extended the bereavement grant to the next of kin of deceased recipients of disability allowance aged between 16 and 22 years.

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.