Veterans Issues
Veterans programme
Veterans programme
Veterans affairs secretariat
Veterans working arrangements
Veterans task force
Veterans forum
Veterans plenary
Minister's speeches
Veterans forum
Minutes of the Veterans Forum Meeting held in the Victory Services Club on 05 March 2003
Annex A. Progress
made by Working Groups.
Annex B. Comments by Chairman
COBSEO.
Annex C. DCMS Speaking Notes.
Annex D. Update from Scottish
Executive.
Annex E. Update from National
Assembly for Wales.
Annex F. Update from Northern
Ireland Executive.
Annex F To
D/SPP(P&V)/7/5
Dated 18 March 2003
SPEAKING NOTES PROVIDED BY NORTHERN IRELAND EXECUTIVE
Subject - Concessionary fares for war pensioners below 65 and with a disability of over 20 per cent. (DRD)
BACKGROUND
- The eligibility requirements for a War Disablement Concession has not altered since the scheme commenced in 1978. Eligible persons must be holders of a war disablement pension book or have regular war disablement pension payments made direct to a bank or building society account. If the Veterans Agency assesses disability to be such that it merits assistance through regular pension payments, then the Department is prepared to supplement that by way of a travel concession. This means that recipients of a lump sum gratuity are not covered by the scheme.
- It should be noted that the Northern Ireland scheme is considerably more generous to war disabled pensioners than most concessionary fares schemes in Great Britain. There to qualify for the statutory half fare concession, veterans with walking difficulties must be eligible for the war pensioners mobility supplement. As you may be aware, to qualify for this supplement, war pensioners must have at least 40% assessed disablement. In Northern Ireland veterans who are assessed as having lost 20% or more of the functions of an able bodied person qualify for free travel because they are entitled to regular pension payments.
LINE TO TAKE
- The Northern Ireland scheme is considerably more generous to war disabled pensioners than most concessionary fares schemes in Great Britain.
Subject - Local Authority's disregard of war pensions and war widow/widowers pensions (DSD)
BACKGROUND
Great Britain
3. In Great Britain, war widows, war widowers and war disablement pensions carry a statutory disregard of £10 in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. In addition, local authorities have a discretionary power to disregard up to the full amount of the pension when calculating entitlement. Due to the funding arrangements in Great Britain, local authorities are subsidised by central government for Housing Benefit expenditure and the cost of any increased disregard is borne by the local authorities from within their own resources.
4. For some time there has been criticism in Great Britain that if war pensioners live in local authority areas which do not allow the increased discretionary disregard, they are being treated less fairly than those who live in an area where an increased disregard is in place.
Northern Ireland
5. In Northern Ireland, war pensions, war widows and war widowers pensions are disregarded in full when assessing entitlement to Housing Benefit. The disregard was extended to war widowers' pensions from April 2002. The decision to apply a full disregard to war widows and war widowers pensions was carried forward as a statutory disregard into Housing Benefit legislation from the earlier 1976 rent rebate and allowances scheme.
6. The administration of Housing Benefit is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in respect of tenants and the Rate Collection Agency in respect of owner-occupiers. The Housing Benefit scheme is funded differently in Northern Ireland from Great Britain and both organisations receive 100% funding. There is no Council tax or Council Tax Benefit in Northern Ireland where the Rating system is still in place.
LINE TO TAKE
- As a full disregard of war widows, war widowers and war pensions already applies in the Northern Ireland Housing Benefit scheme, no further action is required.
Subject - Priority Treatment for war veterans in the NHS (DHSSPS)
BACKGROUND
7. In 1953 the Government of the day at Westminster gave an undertaking that priority treatment would be given to war pensioners needing examination or treatment for their accepted disablement at all hospitals in the health service. In 1973, a letter corresponding to a 1972 GB circular on priority treatment was issued by the then NI Hospitals Authority to Hospital Management Committees.
8. The issue of this letter was regarded as a mistake by the Department of Social Security (DSS), as the relevant legislation (Transfer of Functions (Ministry of Pensions) Order 1953) and the undertaking regarding priority treatment contained in the 1972 circular, related to England, Scotland and Wales, but did not apply here.
9. In 1991 the Department of Health asked all 4 health departments to consider issuing a reminder to the 1972 circular. As the letter issued in 1972 had been regarded as a mistake, this Department did not issue a reminder and the DOH was notified accordingly.
CURRENT POSITION
10. The Department is not aware of any complaints about waiting times for treatment specifically from ex-service personnel or war pensioners.
LINE TO TAKE
- The guidance issued by the DSS in 1972, HM (72) 75, on Hospital Treatment for War Pensioners applied to England, Scotland and Wales, but did not apply in Northern Ireland. Therefore, in recent years, the Department has not issued any reminders to Health and Social Services Boards or Trusts about compliance with the policy set in 1953. Boards and Trusts have been asked to ensure that a safe and effective service is provided and that patients are treated according to clinical priority.
