Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Question 254: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will provide exemption for those female old age pensioners who are denied the qualified adult allowance due to the impact of joint accounts on their entitlement to QAA, where their husbands may have deposited in the account a lump sum received due to redundancy, retirement, severance and so on; if he will take into account the fact that the females concerned are likely to have remained at home to care for and nurture children, and look after their homes while the husband was the sole wage-earner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35809/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The state pensions contributory and transitional include, where appropriate, an increase for a dependent spouse or partner. This increase is means-tested and a full increase is payable where a spouse's income is less than €100 per week, and reduced rates are payable until income exceeds €300 per week, up from €280 before the recent Budget. The decision is made on the basis of the income enjoyed by the qualified adult only. However, where capital or property (other than the family home) is jointly owned, then the qualified adult will be assessed with 50% of any actual/notional income or capital value deriving from that asset. The effect is that the qualified adult of a couple with capital of just under €116,000 will qualify for a qualified adult increase at the maximum rate of €200 per week provided the principal pensioner is also in receipt of state pension (contributory) at the maximum rate. Social Welfare legislation provides for the tapered withdrawal of the qualified adult increase until it is withdrawn where a couple has capital of €216,000 or more.

As set out in the Programme for Government, the policy in relation to the means-testing of qualified adult payments is to increase the income limits that apply in the means-test so that more people will qualify for the allowance. These limits are kept under review in a budgetary context. The issue of means-testing qualified adult payments for pensions is discussed in the Green Paper on Pensions, published on 17 October. Although this is an issue which cannot be looked at exclusively in a pensions context, as it applies to all social welfare payments, the consultation process on pensions will include discussion on the future status of qualified adults.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 255: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the plans his Department have to introduce a grant to enable a person in receipt of the State pension to install a land line phone in view of the substantial cost of such an installation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35842/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2007 provided for the telephone allowance to be extended to cover mobile phones. Under this new arrangement, customers have the choice to opt either for a direct credit to a telephone company for their landline as before or for a cash payment in respect of their mobile phone. This means that it is no longer necessary for a person to have a landline installed in order to benefit from the telephone allowance. The Programme for Government includes a commitment to further extend the telephone allowance to include broadband services. A range of proposals have been made to extend the coverage of the household benefits package of free schemes. These proposals are kept under review in the context of the objectives of the scheme and budgetary resources.