asked the Minister for Social Welfare why unemployment assistance has not been paid to a person (name supplied) in County Kerry.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance.
11.
Payment of unemployment assistance was made to the person concerned up to 30th March, 1976 at the weekly rates applicable to a married man resident in a rural area who had a dependent wife and six dependent children and whose weekly rate of means was assessed at £10.77. Following investigation of his means a deciding officer revoked his qualification certificate, possession of which is a necessary requirement for entitlement to unemployment assistance, on the grounds that by failing to furnish particulars of his means as required by the Unemployment Assistance Acts and Regulations he had failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit for entitlement to such assistance. He appealed against the deciding officer's decision but the appeals officer to whom the case was referred upheld that decision. An appeals officer's decision is final in the absence of new facts or fresh evidence.
A renewed application for a qualification certificate made by the person concerned has been referred to the local social welfare officer for investigation and on receipt of the officer's report a decision will be given regarding his entitlement to unemployment assistance without delay.
My information is that there was some disagreement between the applicant and the social welfare officer concerned; that the officer received the applicant's permission to go to the bank for the purpose of ascertaining his position, that a statement of the applicant's position was signed subsequently both by himself and by his wife but that when the officer called again about a month later the applicant denied that he had signed any such statement. I am wondering whether this disagreement between the officer and the applicant is responsible for the non-payment of assistance.
There is a lengthy statement in the brief in relation to this whole matter. The up-to-date position is that during this week the social welfare officer has been asked to contact the applicant again and to endeavour to sort out the problem.