asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is proposed to pay pay-related social insurance benefit to a person (details supplied) in Mervue, Galway.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
617.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 20 February to 9 June 1982, date of latest medical certificate received. As, according to the records of the Department she has less than the required minimum of 26 contributions paid or credited in the 1980-81 contribution year which governs her claim, she is not entitled to payment of benefit. She was notified to this effect on 30 March 1982.
618.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, has not been granted an increase in pension; and if he will ensure that the increase is now granted.
The person concerned who attained pension age on 16 May 1982, was awarded old age contributory pension at a partial rate, with effect from 21 May 1982. One of the conditions for the receipt of old age contributory pension at the maximum rate requires a person to have a yearly average of not less than 48 contributions to qualify for pension. The yearly average is calculated over the period from 1953 or year of entry into insurance, if later, to the end of the contribution year immediately preceding that in which pension age is attained. The claimant's average fell to be calculated over the 29 year period from 1953 to 1981-82 and she had a total of 786 qualifying contributions in that period. This gave her a yearly average of 27 contributions and the rate of pension appropriate to this average is £37.80 a week. The maximum rate is £40.25 which is payable to claimants with a yearly average of 48 or more contributions.
A pension book containing orders payable from 28 May 1982 issued to the designated post office on 24 May 1982 for collection by the claimant. A further book containing orders also payable from 28 May 1982 at the rate of £2.70 per week in respect of a living alone allowance awarded to the claimant was also sent to the post office on 24 May 1982. A payable order covering all arrears due to the claimant was issued to her on 11 June 1982.
619.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason his Department have not processed the application of a person (details supplied) in Rathfarnham, Dublin, for unemployment assistance.
To qualify for unemployment assistance a person must be the holder of a qualification certificate. A deciding officer revoked the qualification certificate of the person concerned on the grounds that she did not satisfy the condition for entitlement which under existing legislation requires in the case of a married woman that she is not a dependant of her husband. The person concerned although separated from her husband is receiving maintenance from him. She has been notified of the decision in her case.
620.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if all disability benefit has been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 24 May 1982. According to the records of the Department he had not the required minimum of 26 paid or credited contributions in the contribution year 1980-81 which governed his claim in order to qualify him for payment. Following further inquiries it has now been established that he had sufficient contributions to qualify him for benefit. All arrears of disability benefit due from 24 May 1982 to 26 June 1982 were issued on 25 June 1982. He is not entitled to pay-related benefit.
621.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment assistance has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
All arrears of unemployment assistance due to the person concerned will be paid this week. His current weekly rate of unemployment assistance is £15.75 which is the maximum amount appropriate to a single person with weekly means of £5.45 living in a rural area. Further weekly payments will continue to be made as they fall due.
622.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment assistance has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in Claremorris, County Mayo.
All unemployment assistance due to the person concerned has been paid. He is receiving unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £18.20 which is the maximum amount appropriate to a single person with weekly means of £7.25 living in a rural area. There was delay in making payment as the social welfare officer investigating the case experienced considerable difficulty in arranging an interview with the claimant. Further weekly payments will continue to be made as they fall due.
623.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a widow's pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Ballinrobe, County Mayo.
The person concerned has been awarded a widow's non-contributory pension, at a reduced rate appropriate to a widow with no qualified children, on the basis of her means assessed on the value of a farm. The award is effective from 8 January 1982.
A pension book with orders payable from 30 April 1982 has been issued to the designated Post Office for collection by the widow and she has been notified accordingly. The arrears of pension due from 8 January to 29 April 1982 were paid direct by means of a payable order to her.
624.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when benefit at the full rate will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Gorey, County Wexford.
The person concerned claimed occupational injury benefit in respect of an incapacity which he attributed to an accident at work on 29 March 1982. Pending inquiries as to the nature and origin of the incapacity he was paid disability benefit on an interim basis. As he did not claim an increase of benefit in respect of a wife when completing his claim form payment was made at the single rate.
On completion of the inquiries it was accepted that the incapacity was due to an accident at work and the claim was allowed. In addition, payment in respect of the claimant's wife was allowed. All injury benefit due at the maximum rate appropriate to a married man, less the amount of disability benefit paid on an interim basis, has now been issued.
625.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in Castleblayney, County Monaghan.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 10 May 1982. However, the claim was disallowed by a deciding officer for six weeks from 7 May 1982 to 17 June 1982 on the grounds that the claimant lost his employment through his own misconduct. It is open to the person concerned to appeal against the decision of the deciding officer if he is dissatisfied with the decision in his case. A form on which to lodge his appeal may be obtained from his local office. The claim has been allowed from 18 June 1982 at the weekly rate of £13.65. All arrears due to the person concerned will be paid this week. Further weekly payments will continue to be made as they fall due.
626.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason the payment of occupational injury or disability benefit has been discontinued to a person (details supplied) in Kingscourt, County Cavan, since 12 May 1982.
The person concerned was paid occupational injury benefit from 12 November 1981 to 12 May 1982, at which stage his title to injury benefit was exhausted as he had been paid for the maximum statutory period of 26 weeks. The claim from 13 May 1982 onwards was treated as one for disability benefit but due to an administrative error payment was not made at that time. The matter has now been rectified and all disability benefit due to 25 June 1982, date of the latest medical evidence received, has issued.
627.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying a children's allowance to a person (details supplied) in Callan, County Kilkenny, as the application was made some nine months ago.
The person concerned claimed children's allowance on 5 February 1982. A birth certificate in support of the claim was furnished on 23 April 1982 but due to an oversight was not associated with the claim. On receipt of the evidence of age, however, the allowance was awarded with effect from March 1982, the month after that in which the claim was received. The appropriate allowance books were issued to the claimant's home address on 18 June 1982 and a payable order in respect of the arrears due for March 1982 is in course of issue.
628.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit at the full rate and pay-related benefit are being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 15 February 1982 and was paid from 18 February 1982, fourth day of incapacity. Payment was made at the weekly rate of £41.70 to 3 April 1982 and in addition pay-related benefit was paid at the weekly rate of £9.20 from 1 March 1982, 13th day of incapacity. The rate of disability benefit was increased to £52.15 per week from 5 April 1982, the date the 1982 budget increases were implemented.
The social welfare regulations provide that the combined weekly rate of disability benefit and pay-related benefit payable may not exceed a claimant's reckonable earnings in the tax year relevant to his claim. The claimant's rate of earnings in the relevant tax year were £50.90 per week and as the rate of disability benefit payable from 5 April 1982 exceeded this amount pay-related benefit ceased to be payable from that date. All benefit due to 21 June 1982, date of the latest medical evidence received, has been issued. The current rate of disability benefit in payment (£52.15) in the maximum rate appropriate to a married man with one qualified child.
629.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit has been discontinued for the past three months to a person (details supplied) in Crosspatrick, County Kilkenny, as she is unable to work.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 7 January 1981 and payment was made to 8 January 1982. Payment ceased after that date as she has less than the required minimum of 26 contributions paid or credited in 1980-81 the contribution year governing payment of her claim from that date. She was notified to this effect on 14 January 1982. The local social welfare officer has been requested to make inquiries with a view to establishing whether she had insurable employment in the 1980-81 contribution year which might qualify the claimant for payment of benefit after 8 January 1982.
630.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit for the period February to April 1982 will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Ballybay, County Monaghan.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 26 February to 8 May 1982, after which date she was certified fit to resume employment. She was not entitled to payment, however, as according to the records of the Department she had less than the required minimum of 26 contributions paid or credited in the 1980-81 governing contribution year under the RSI number quoted on the claim form. Following inquiries, however, it has been established that she is qualified for benefit on the basis of contributions paid under the RSI number quoted by the Deputy. A cheque for the amount of disability benefit due was issued on 28 June. Her entitlement to pay-related benefit is being investigated and any such benefit due will issue when the enquiries have been completed.
631.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is proposed to grant an old age pension to a person (details supplied) in Kinvara, County Galway.
The person concerned has been in receipt of pension at a reduced rate since 1 December 1977. Because of annual increases in his American social security pension from the date he was first awarded non-contributory old age pension, a question for reduction of his old age pension is being raised and will be referred to the local pension committee for decision. A pension order book at the reduced rate of £14.45 a week plus £7.30 adult dependant allowance has been issued to him pending the decision of the pension committee. If he is dissatisfied with the decision of the pension committee he will have the right of appeal against it.
632.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if it is proposed to pay a widow's pension to a person (details supplied) in Oranmore, County Galway.
The person concerned, whose husband died on 23 November 1967, made two applications for widow's non-contributory pension in 1968 and 1978. Both applications were refused as her means were in excess of the statutory limit for receipt of pension by a widow with no qualified children. She again claimed widow's pension in May 1982. The local officer who is investigating the claim reported that he had made several calls to the widow's home but she was not there. On his most recent visit he left a message requesting her to contact him. As soon as she does so her circumstances will be investigated, following which a decision on her claim will be given without delay.
633.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a contributory old-age pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Craughwell, County Galway.
The person concerned attained pension age on 28 March 1982 and claimed old age contributory pension from the Department. One of the conditions for the receipt of old age contributory pension requires a person to have a yearly average of not less than 20 contributions in order to qualify. The yearly average is calculated over the period from 5 January 1953 in the case of the person concerned, to the end of the contribution year immediately preceding that in which pension age is attained. The claimant had aa total of 481 contributions in the 28 year period from 1953 to 1980-81. As this is equivalent to a yearly average of only 17 contributions the claimant did not qualify on this record. A social welfare officer has been asked to investigate the gaps in the claimant's insurance record tp ascertain if he had any further periods of insurable employment which might enable him to qualify for the pension.
In the meantime, the claimant has been awarded a non-contributory old age pension at the rate of £14.45 per week plus an additional £7.30 a week adult dependant allowance. A pension book containing orders valid for payment from 16 April 1982 was issued on 31 May 1982 to the designated post office and the claimant was notified accordingly. A payable order in respect of the arrears due for the period 2 April to 15 April 1982 was issued direct to him on 23 June 1982.
634.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of arrears which are due to a person (details supplied) in Kilmainham, Dublin 8, in respect a deserted wife's allowance; and when the arrears will be paid.
The balance of arrears of deserted wife's allowance due to the person concerned from 3 September 1981 to 5 May 1982 is £543.47. This is made up of arrears of £1,863.10 less a deduction of £1,319.63 being the amount of supplementary welfare allowance paid to her during that period by the Eastern Health Board which, under the legislation, is due to be refunded to that authority. A payable order for the amount due has been issued direct to her.
635.
(Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare when pay-related benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Creeslough, County Donegal.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 8 May 1982. He was paid from 12 May, fourth day of incapacity, to 15 May 1982, after which date he was certified fit to resume work. The amount of flat-rate benefit due in respect of this period was £74.08. The claimant is not entitled to pay-related benefit as the duration of the claim was less than 13 days.
636.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay unemployment assistance to a person (details suppleid) in Donaghmore, County Cork.
To qualify for unemployment assistance a person must be the holder of a qualification certificate. The person concerned applied for a qualification certificate on 14 January 1982 but he failed to co-operate with the social welfare officer investigating his means. He was advised in March last that unless he fully discloses his means his application for a qualification certificate would have to be refused. So far he has not responded. If, however, he is prepared to furnish the information required his application will be dealt with without delay.
637.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an unmarried mother's allowance which is due to a person (details supplied) in New Ross, County Wexford, will be paid.
The person concerned was awarded an unmarried mother's allowance with effect from 24 September 1981. An allowance book with orders payable from 3 December 1981 was issued to the designated post office on 1 December 1981 for collection by her.
The arrears due for the period from 24 September 1981 to 2 December 1981 have been paid direct to the claimant after deduction of the amount of supplementary welfare allowance advanced to her during that period.
638.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why £20 only has been paid to a person (details supplied) in Murroe, County Limerick, as he has been out of work for five weeks; and when the balance will be paid.
The person concerned claimed injury benefit from 17 May 1982. Pending inquiries regarding the nature and origin of the incapacity disability benefit was authorised from 20 May 1982, fourth day of incapacity. Payment was made at the maximum rate appropriate to a single person as a claim form for increases in respect of dependants was not submitted by the claimant. Pay-related benefit was also authorised from 31 May 1982, thirteenth day of incapacity.
A medical certificate received on 3 June 1982 indicated that the claimant was in hospital and in accordance with normal practice in relation to single persons in such instances he was requested to furnish the address to which his cheques should be sent while he remained in hospital. A reply was received on 15 June 1982 and further cheques issued to him.
Further inquiries have revealed that the claimant is a married man with four dependant children. The claim has accordingly been reviewed and arrears of disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 26 June 1982, less supplementary welfare allowance advanced, have now issued.