Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the situation regarding persons on disability payment who have reached of 65 years and must wait until their 66th birthday before they can receive old age pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37368/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that where a person in receipt of a disability-related payment, such as Invalidity Pension, Illness Benefit or Disability Allowance, continues to satisfy the qualifying conditions for that scheme, the pension or allowance continues to be paid up to age 66, at which point the person concerned can apply for a State Pension (Contributory) or State Pension (Non-Contributory) as appropriate.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 390: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the incentives for self-employed persons who contribute class A stamps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37369/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Self-employed workers are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 3%. Class S contributions provide cover for long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widow's/widower's pension (contributory).

They do not provide cover for short-term benefits such as jobseeker's and illness benefits - these are only available to people covered by PRSI Classes A, E, H and P. This reflects the need for coverage for various contingencies, the lower rate of contributions that self-employed people pay, the practicalities of administering and controlling access to short-term payments and the annualised system of contributions that this group enjoy. A system of separate arrangements for employed and self-employed workers within a social insurance context is common in other European social protection systems.

In certain cases, a self-employed person, who had insurable employment in the relevant year, currently 2008, and had paid sufficient Class A contributions, may qualify for a jobseeker's benefit payment, provided all the conditions of the scheme are satisfied.

A self-employed person who has paid insufficient Class A contributions may instead qualify for jobseeker's allowance. Jobseeker's allowance is a means-tested payment and, in assessing a person's means for the purposes of this allowance, account is taken of all income which the person may reasonably expect to receive during the succeeding year. In general, their means will take account of the level of earnings in the last twelve months in determining their expected income for the following year. In the current climate, account is taken of the downward trend in the economy and it is accepted that future earnings may be lower than those of previous years. The process also recognises the potential for significant upward or downward variations in income from one year to the next. There are no immediate plans to extend cover for short-term benefits to this group of insured workers. Any such measure would have significant financial implications and would have to be considered within a budgetary context. Consideration would also have to be given to an appropriate increase in the rate of the PRSI Class S contribution.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 391: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if it is his policy that in a situation where a married couple have separated and one partner continues to pay the mortgage on the family home if payment of that mortgage is considered income when calculating the means in relation to an application for back to school clothing and footwear allowance by the partner who continues to live in the family home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37371/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but only to provide assistance towards these costs. A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if they are in receipt of a social welfare or Health Service Executive (HSE) payment, or are participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education and training course and have household income at below standard levels.

All income from earnings should be assessed under normal supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) rules. Mortgage payments, or income provided by a spouse (or ex-spouse) to an individual to pay for a mortgage are not disregarded for the purpose of calculating household income for the BSCFA scheme.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 392: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made regarding the payment of Christmas bonuses to social welfare recipients in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37411/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Supplementary Budget of April 2009 provided for the discontinuance of the Christmas bonus. No provision has been made for the payment of a Christmas bonus in the 2010 Estimates.