Vol. 470 No. 2
144 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Social Welfare the proposals, if any, he has to amend the regulations which allow for payment of arrears of pension of not more than six months; if his attention has been drawn to the hardship caused to many people by the current restrictive arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18792/96]
Under existing provisions, payment of arrears on foot of late claims, other than in the case of child benefit, are generally limited to six months. As I indicated in replies to earlier parliamentary questions, any relaxation of the current legislative requirements would have substantial cost implications and would have to be considered in the light of other priorities.
I am concerned to ensure that social welfare beneficiaries receive their full entitlements. To that end, my Department is continuously examining options for improved targeting of information which will ensure that people are aware in time of their entitlements.
However, it must be emphasised that people generally have an obligation to acquaint themselves with their entitlements. It would be unreasonable to expect the Department of Social Welfare to be responsible for people who fail for various reasons to make a claim.
