Free telephone rental allowance
The applicant was refused the allowance because an occupational pension does not qualify; extending eligibility would carry additional costs for which no funds are available.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 is not being allowed free telephone rental in view of the fact that he is 75 and lives alone; and if he will ensure that this category of individual is not discriminated against.
Comment on this
The application of the person concerned for a free telephone rental allowance was refused as he was not in receipt of a qualifying pension.
In order to qualify for the allowance an applicant must be receiving a social welfare-type pension. A person receiving an occupational pension does not fulfil the conditions and an allowance is not payable in such a case.
To extend the scheme to include occupational pensioners would involve significant additional costs and there are no funds at my disposal to meet such costs.
10.