asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position in regard to the payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in Craughwell, County Galway.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
618.
Following an oral hearing of her appeal on 6 July 1982 an appeals officer revised the decision of the deciding officer and allowed the unemployment benefit claim of the person concerned.
Arrangements have been made for the early payment of all arrears of unemployment benefit due to her.
619.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a medical re-examination will be arranged immediately for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
The person concerned received disability benefit continuously fron 25 April 1974 to 5 June 1982, after which date payment was terminated following an examination by a medical referee of the Department who considered him to be capable of work. He was informed accordingly.
The claimant appealed against the decision disallowing payment of benefit and in connection with his appeal arrangements are being made to have him examined by a different medical referee at an early date. On receipt of the report of this examination his claim will be re-examined. In the meantime he has been advised to submit medical evidence of incapacity if he has continued to be incapable of work.
620.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a deserted wife's benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Swords, County Dublin.
The person concerned has been awarded a deserted wife's allowance with effect from 25 March 1982, at a reduced rate based on means derived from maintenance contributions made in respect of her by her husband.
A book with orders payable from 15 July 1982 has been issued to the designated post office for collection by the claimant and she was notified accordingly.
The arrears due for the period 25 March 1982 to 14 July 1982 have been sent direct to her after adjustment for the amount of supplementary welfare allowance which she received from the Eastern Health Board during that period.
621.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a deserted wife's allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Swords, County Dublin.
The person concerned has been awarded deserted wife's benefit with effect from 1 April 1982. A book with orders payable from 1 July 1982 was forwarded to the designated post office on 30 June 1982 for collection by her and she was notified accordingly.
The arrears due for the period 1 April 1982 to 30 June 1982 have been sent direct to the claimant by payable order after adjustment for the amount of supplementary welfare allowance paid to her by the Eastern Health Board during that period.
622.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed occupational injury benefit on 26 April 1982 in respect of an incapacity which he attributed to an accident at work on 21 January 1980.
Following inquiries it was ascertained that the accident which caused his incapacity did not arise out of and in the course of employment which is insurable under the Social Welfare Acts. Accordingly, he was not entitled to injury benefit.
The claimant was not qualified for payment of disability benefit as he had less than the required minimum of 26 contributions paid or credited in the 1980-81 contribution year which governed his claim. In any event he only submitted one medical certificate in 1980 in respect of his claims. It is proposed, however, to have an inspector of the Department visit him at an early date to obtain further information regarding his claim.
623.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have a factual assessment carried out on the application for unemployment assistance by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who has had no income since January last.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 23 March 1982 and following the completion of inquiries his claim was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit.
Arrangements have been made for an appeals officer to hold an oral hearing at which the person concerned will be able to explain his circumstances. He will be notified of the time and date of the hearing as soon as possible.
624.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have a factual assessment carried out on the application for unemployment assistance by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny as his claim was refused last January.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 23 March 1982 and following the completion of inquiries his claim was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit.
Arrangements have been made for an appeals officer to hold an oral hearing, at which the person concerned will be able to explain his circumstances. He will be notified of the time and date of the hearing as soon as possible.
625.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay arrears of a widow's pension from 12 March to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow who has three dependent children.
Arrears of widow's contributory pension due to the person concerned for the period 12 March to 27 May 1982 have been paid to her by payable order after deduction of the amount of unemployment assistance payments which she received for six weeks after her husband's death.
He had been in receipt of unemployment assistance at the time of his death, on 10 March 1982, but as the rate of widow's pension awarded to her was higher than the unemployment assistance payment he was getting, and which she received for the six weeks in question, the widow's pension became payable from 12 March 1982 (the Friday following her husband's death) and the unemployment assistance already paid to her was offset against the widow's pension due.
626.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in Tullow, County Carlow as she has been out of work since last January and is available for any work that might be offered to her.
A claim to unemployment benefit made by the person concerned on 25 January, 1982, was disallowed by a deciding officer on the ground that she was not available for work. She appealed against this decision but, after an oral hearing on 3 May 1982 which she attended, an appeals officer upheld the disallowance.
She made another claim to unemployment benefit on 4 May 1982. This claim was also disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that she was not available for work. The person concerned has also appealed against this decision and her case has been referred to an appeals officer for determination.
627.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to issue an invalidity pension book to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow as the application was made recently and he was in receipt of disability benefit for years.
The person concerned has been awarded an invalidity pension payable from 22 July 1982. The pension book has been forwarded to the designated post office of payment for collection by him.
628.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason pay-related benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The entitlement to pay-related benefit of a wholly unemployed person in receipt of flat-rate unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that the sum of weekly flat-rate unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit together with any income tax refund paid may not exceed 85 per cent of a claimant's previous net weekly earnings.
The person concerned commenced short-time working on 21 January 1982 and only became wholly unemployed from 17 June 1982. Payment of pay-related benefit was withheld pending completion of inquiries to ascertain the 85 per cent limit applicable in her case. These investigations were recently finalised and her entitlement to pay-related benefit, £30.39, from 17 June 1982 was established.
All arrears of pay-related benefit due to her were paid last week.
629.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Castleblayney, County Monaghan.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 11 May 1982 and his case was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means.
As soon as the necessary investigations are finalised his means will be assessed by a deciding officer and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined.
630.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a free electricity allowance will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick as she applied last October.
An application for a free electricity allowance was received from the person concerned on 18 March 1982. The allowance has been authorised and the ESB has been instructed to apply the allowance to her account from the May/June 1982 billing period.
There is no trace of any previous application from the person concerned.
631.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will forward an invalidity pension application form to a person (details supplied) in Enniscorthy, County Wexford.
A form on which to claim invalidity pension has been forwarded to the person concerned. On its return, duly completed, arrangements will be made to have him transferred to invalidity pension at an early date.
632.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in Enniscorthy, County Wexford is entitled to unemployment assistance.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 15 April 1982 and his case was referred to a Social Welfare Officer for investigation of his means.
The necessary inquiries have not yet been finalised but as soon as they are, his means will be assessed by a deciding officer and his entitlement to unemployment assistance determined.
633.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will be made on the application for disability benefit for a person (details supplied) in Terenure, Dublin 12.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit in September 1981 in respect of an incapacity which commenced in June 1978. He was not entitled to payment as he had not the required minimum of 26 paid or credited contributions in the contribution year 1979-80 which governed his claim. In fact he has no paid contributions to his credit since 1962 and it is understood that he had been self-employed from that date up to the commencement of his present illness. In these circumstances it would be necessary for him to resume insurable employment and to have at least 26 contributions paid in respect of him before he could qualify for payment of benefit.
The position was fully explained to the claimant in a letter which issued to him on 16 April 1982.
634.
(Waterford) asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Lisduggan, County Waterford has not received disability benefit for the last four weeks.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit continuously since October 1979. He is normally paid weekly in advance of medical certification which is required at monthly intervals only. Payment ceased after 29 May 1982 because no medical certificate was received from the claimant since 10 February 1982.
Following the receipt of a further certificate dated 12 June 1982, payment of all benefit due to that date was issued on 17 June 1982. Further cheques issued on 6 and 7 July 1982 paying him up to 17 July 1982.
The delay in payment from 18 June 1982 was due to an administrative error.
635.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Cork who is signing for unemployment benefit for the past 18 months will be paid benefit.
The person concerned was paid unemployment benefit for 15 months up to 9 March 1982 when his title to that benefit became exhausted. He then claimed unemployment assistance.
His case was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means. The inquiries have not yet been completed as the person concerned has been asked to furnish certain details of his income but to date he has not done so.
When the necessary information is made available his means will be assessed by a deciding officer and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined.
636.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork was not paid pay-related benefit from September 1980 to July 1981 when he was only getting £39.65 per week disability benefit, while his pay prior to September 1980 was over £50 per week.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit continuously from 26 September 1980 and all such benefit due to 17 July 1982 has issued.
The claimant's entitlement to pay-related benefit is based on his reckonable earnings in the income tax year 1978-79. At the date of his claim, details of these earnings were not available but following inquiries it was ascertained that his average weekly earnings in that year were £46.08. As his rate of disability benefit from 14 October 1980 was £39.65 he was precluded by regulations from receiving more than £6.47 a week pay-related benefit. Payment at this rate from 10 October 1980, thirteenth day of incapacity, to 4 April 1981 was included in the cheque for £163.91 which was issued to him on 9 July 1982. He was not entitled to pay-related benefit from 6 April 1981 as the rate of disability benefit payable in his case exceeds his average weekly earnings in the relevant tax year 1978-79.
637.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed injury benefit from 19 November to 6 December 1980 and again from 19 January 1981 in respect of an accident which occurred during the course of his employment on 19 November 1980. Disability benefit was paid in respect of those claims on an interim basis pending inquiries as to the nature and origin of the incapacity. When the inquiries were completed, adjusting payments in respect of injury benefit due from 19 November to 6 December 1980 and from 19 January to 18 May 1981 were issued on 29 June 1981 and 15 September 1981, respectively.
On 18 May 1981 the claimant exhausted the maximum statutory period of 26 weeks payment of injury benefit and his claim since that date is treated as one to disability benefit. Payment of disability benefit is made weekly in advance of medical certification which is required at monthly intervals only. He has been paid to 17 July 1982 on this basis.
The claimant is not entitled to pay-related benefit since 31 March 1982 when he exhausted his maximum entitlement.
638.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 5 June 1982 but following the completion of inquiries his claim was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that he was not available for work.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the decision and he recently obtained an appeal form from his local office. When he completes and returns this form his case will be referred to an appeals officer for determination.