asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider decentralisation of authority to local offices in different parts of the country to enable the payment of social benefits to be expedited.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Payment of Social Welfare Benefits.
40.
Presumably the Deputy has disability benefit in mind, as other benefits are already paid through local offices. Under existing arrangements the long-term disability benefit recipients, approximately half the total number of claimants, receive their benefit cheques on the same day each week in advance, while the remainder receive payment promptly on submission of medical evidence of incapacity. In the majority of cases the cheque is issued on the date of receipt of the medical certificate. Even if it would expedite payment of new claims to disability benefit to any appreciable extent, which it is reasonably certain it would not, it would not be feasible to pay all disability benefit claimants at employment exchanges or local offices of this Department as the distances to be travelled would prevent large numbers from attending while many others would not be in a fit state of health to attend. In fact, in the case of unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance, only half the claimants are paid at employment exchanges, the remainder, on account of the distances involved, being paid by means of postal orders. It is not proposed, therefore, to alter the existing arrangements for payment of disability benefit.
Would the Minister not agree that decentralisation to local offices would make for greater simplification of payment?
On more than one occasion, I had this suggestion examined. I could never agree that it would be of any assistance whatever in expediting payment. The records are held centrally at the Department. They are required in connection with all sorts of claims that may arise at different times in relation to benefits and it would be necessary for the local office to correspond with the Department anyway which would not short-circuit the necessary decision that must be taken before a claim is decided.
Would the Minister not agree that that was the original system and that it worked very well until, for some reason unknown to me but perhaps known to the Minister, it was changed? This makes for considerable delays in payment which constitutes a good deal of hardship on those least able to bear it.
I am not aware that decisions were originally made at local level.