asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider changing the social welfare regulations to allow unemployed people to take holidays without any loss of benefit as a result of not being at home to sign the employment register.

The policy in relation to signing arrangements for unemployed people claiming benefit is based on the basic requirement to maintain control over claims. I am, however, sympathetically disposed towards the idea put forward by the Deputy and I have been reviewing the signing arrangements with a view to seeing what can be done in such circumstances. I would hope that it will prove possible to make suitable arrangements within the scope of existing legislation.

I hope the Minister will examine this in detail with a view to helping those unfortunate people who are unemployed throughout the country. The unemployed status is inclined to dominate their lives and it would be an act of kindness to let them get away from their mundane living for short periods.

Is the Minister aware that many of those people require to go away from home to seek employment either in Ireland or in England and they are at a loss of benefit during that time? Would he try to redress that unfairness?

I agree with both Deputies and I am examining this closely. I hope to have some arrangements made to meet it.

When? Will it be early in 1984?

Early.

2.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is prepared to review the means test in respect of the payment of unemployment assistance as it is now causing severe hardship to families.

The means test for unemployment assistance is designed to ensure that all applicants for assistance are treated in an equitable manner having regard to the resources available to them. I am satisfied that the means test as presently operated is a fair and reasonable method of determining entitlement and allocating scarce resources to those in need.

I suggest the Act should be updated and a general review made of the regulations, because great hardship is suffered by heads of households who cannot obtain assistance if some member of the family is employed.

I accept the Deputy's point, but I would emphasise that assistance is basically to help people in need and if a sizeable income is coming into the house, account must be taken of it. We are dealing with assistance, not benefit and, as I have said, we must bear in mind that our resources are scarce. This would not be the time to do it.

I accept that but I refer to the hardship caused by the means test in certain cases. Sometimes the person in receipt of a wage would not contribute to the father or mother and that can create serious hardship. I know of such a case in my constituency.

There is a welfare fund to which they can apply.

What are the criteria used in assessing the value of board and lodgings? When a young person becomes unemployed he might not be entitled to benefit but to assistance and the Department assess the value of board and lodgings. What criteria are used in that assessment of the board and lodgings?

The criterion is the actual income coming into the house. If it is above a certain limit the amount paid in assistance is accordingly reduced.

This is becoming a general discussion.

I do not think the Minister understands my point. Board and lodgings are assessed at, say, £20 or £25 a week because the person is living at home. In that situation the young person might be getting only £1 a day — I am referring particularly to my constituency — and it is most unfair to tell young people that they are worth only £1 a day because they are living at home with their parents.

The income going into the house must be considered.

If the applicant was not living at home he would get the full amount.

There is a built-in element of board and lodging and the household income is taken into account. If it is below a certain amount the person seeking assistance will get a higher weekly, rate but if it is above that limit he would get less. We are talking about social welfare assistance.

3.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider changing the regulations pertaining to the payment of the prescribed relative allowance to allow payment to be made to the relative rather than the incapacitated person; and having regard to the cost of maintaining a patient, if he will consider increasing the amount of the payment in the forthcoming budget.

The prescribed relative allowance was introduced to meet the needs of households where certain pensioners were receiving full time care and attention from relatives. It is not a payment in its own right but is an increase in the pension of the incapacitated person and as such is included in the amount of pension paid to the pensioner.

In the light of the general review of the services which is being undertaken by the Commission on Social Welfare I will be reviewing the role of the prescribed relative allowance as part of overall policy with regard to caring for incapacitated people. In the course of the review the person to whom the allowance is paid will be considered. The question of increasing the amount of the allowance will be considered in the normal way in the context of the forthcoming budget.

Can the Minister not see the difficulties that could arise? An individual looking after an incapacitated relative could have great difficulty in getting the allowance.

I would not disagree, but the allowance is being received by the person being looked after and that person can make his own arrangements to pay the person who is looking after him. It is usual that somebody would collect the pension and then arrangements could be made to work out an arrangement between them.

If an incapacitated person could not get somebody to look after him, he would have to be taken into the geriatric unit of the general hospital. The amount being paid by way of allowance is not sufficiently attractive to encourage such people to stay at home, and we must take into consideration the cost of maintaining patients in hospitals.

As I indicated in my reply, the commission on social welfare have this matter under review and when they report we will look at it.