asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is a fact that a person (name supplied) who is a widow with six children has not received any widow's pension since the beginning of January owing to some misunderstanding or mistake in his Department; if he will state the number of occasions upon which the said pensioner communicated with his Department since January regarding the matter and the number and nature of the replies given to her; and if he intends now to deal promptly with the case in question, having regard to the grave hardship imposed upon the pensioner by her failure to obtain the pension due to her.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Payment of Widow's Pension.
14.
It is not a fact that the widow referred to in the Deputy's question has received no pension since the beginning of January. She has had in her possession a widow's pension book containing orders at the rate of 37/6 a week, which was the rate of contributory pension appropriate to a widow who has no qualified children. This rate of pension was increased to 42/6 as from 3rd January, 1964, under the provisions of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1963. Payment of the increase was effected by the issue to the widow of a supplementary 5/- pension book on the 17th December, 1963, but it now appears that that book was lost in the post.
On the 10th January, 1964, the widow wrote to my Department to say that she had not received an increase in her pension. In reply she was informed that a 5/- pension book had been issued to her on 17th December, 1963, and she was asked to confirm that she had not since received it. A duplicate book was subsequently sent to her when loss of the original book was confirmed.
Did I understand the Minister to say he was referring to a widow without dependants?
That is right.
This question relates to a widow with six children.
Six children, but they are not qualified children.