asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will explain the undue delay in the payment of sickness benefit to a person (name supplied) in County Kilkenny.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Payment of Sickness Benefit.
55.
A claim for disability benefit under the Social Welfare Acts was received from the person named by the Deputy in November, 1968. As he is not entitled to benefit on his insurance record in this country, because no insurance contributions were paid in respect of him during 1967, the governing contribution year, when he was employed in England, the British authorities were requested, on receipt of his claim, to transfer, in accordance with a reciprocal agreement, the necessary British contributions paid in respect of him for the year in question. However, despite repeated reminders they have not yet been received.
It appears that the British authorities have so far been unable to identify his record due to wrong particulars, including a wrong date of birth, having been given by the person concerned, and to the fact that in response to their inquiries to enable them to establish his record he has given vague and inadequate particulars of his employers in Britain.
Can the Minister say if there is any hope of this man being paid within a reasonable time?
It would appear that some of these workers in England, for some reason better known to themselves, did not give correct particulars when they undertook certain employment and it is a tremendous problem to get the necessary particulars from Newcastle-on-Tyne. This is one of those cases.