asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his Department will consider paying unemployment benefit to a person (name supplied) in County Kerry who applied last May and has not yet received any information as to whether he is qualified.
Written Answers. - Kerry Social Welfare Benefits.
56.
The person concerned is a landholder and when he made his claim to unemployment benefit a question arose as to whether he was, in fact, unemployed. Statutory regulations provide that where an insured person has another occupation from which the remuneration or profit is more than £1 per day, he cannot be paid unemployment benefit unless at least 78 employment contributions have been paid in respect of him in a given period of three years prior to his claim. As the person concerned did not satisfy the contribution requirement his case had to be referred to a social welfare officer for a report as to whether his income from the holding exceeded £1 per day. Completion of the officer's report awaits certain information which he requested the claimant's solicitor to furnish. Every effort is being made to have the report completed and a decision given on the claim for unemployment benefit as soon as possible.
In the meantime, arrangements have been made for revision of the rate of means showns on his qualification certificate with effect from 31st March, 1976, in the light of the information available and for payment of all arrears of unemployment assistance due to him on this basis during the course of the present week.
57.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if social welfare payments will be made to a person (name supplied) in County Kerry whose unemployment assistance was discontinued last August.
Payment of unemployment assistance to the person concerned was suspended with effect from 18th August, 1976, following a reinvestigation of his means which indicated that they had increased since previously investigated. On the basis of the information which the reinvestigation brought to light a deciding officer reassessed the means of the person concerned for unemployment assistance purposes with effect from 12th June, 1973. Payment of all arrears due to him, less the amount of the overpayment resulting from the deciding officer's decision, will be made in the course of the present week. Further payments at the reduced rate to which he is now entitled will continue as they fall due.
The applicant has appealed against the deciding officer's revised assessment of means and arrangements have been made for an oral hearing of his case before an appeals officer. He will be notified of the time, date and place of the hearing at which it will be open to him to attend and give evidence on his own behalf.