asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he has received representations on behalf of applicants for children's allowances who were unable to file claims in time owing to shortage of claim forms in the post office; and if, in such cases, he will admit their claims and pay the arrears of allowance due.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Children's Allowances.
It was only in relation to the first payment period, commencing on the 1st August, 1944, that claim forms were obtainable at post offices. Adequate supplies of those forms were provided and I am not aware that there was any shortage of them in the post offices. I have received no representations on the subject.
If I direct the Minister's attention to a specific case where the applicant applied at the post office and was informed at the sub-post office that supplies were not available from the General Post Office in Dublin, or from the General Post Office in Monaghan, will he consider allowing this man to recover the children's allowance to which he would have been entitled had he applied in time?
The person to whom the Deputy has referred me had not a claim in respect of the first payment period. He claimed in respect of the second payment period. That application should have been made direct to the Department. Application was made direct to the Department, and the claim was allowed.
Is it not so that the person so described got the form on which to make the application——
Not at the post office.
And where?
In the Department of Industry and Commerce.
He ultimately got it at the post office?
No.
If I can satisfy the Minister that the facts, as I know them, are not as reported to him, will he consider the case?
The person's claim has been allowed.
But he failed to get the money in the initial period because his claim was not in.
He made no claim?
No, because he could not get the form on which to make it.
There was no case of any person failing to make a claim because he could not get a form at the post office.
If there was a case where a person failed to make a claim solely because the post office could not give him a form whereon to claim, will the Minister consider the case?
No. There was no such case.
If there was such a case, will the Minister consider it? If there was not such a case, then I have no representations to make.
I have no power to make payments in arrear.
Even though it was through your colleague's fault?
There was no such case.
If there was?
There was not.
Ministers are not obliged to answer hypothetical questions.
I am telling him the facts.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, there is no doubt but that trouble has arisen in connection with children's allowances in the case of several people who got children's allowances in the first qualifying period. They have been turned down in this qualifying period. The mothers, with their children, were over here from England and were awarded children's allowances in the first qualifying period. I do not know what the reason is—it has not been made public —but the fact is that those people are now debarred from getting the children's allowances.
That is a matter in which I have no function whatever. It is one for the appeals officer to decide.
They were allowed in the first qualifying period.
The Minister has no jurisdiction in the matter.