asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will expedite the payment of arrears of disability benefit due to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
Written Answers.
14.
The person concerned, who had been in receipt of disability benefit since December 1979, was notified to attend on 3 August 1982 for examination by a medical referee. He failed to do so and did not submit medical evidence that he was unfit to attend. The deciding officer decided that his explanation for his failure to attend for examination, that he was away for the week-end, did not constitute good cause for his non-attendance and disallowed payment of benefit for six weeks.
The claimant appealed against the disallowance of benefit and another examination was arranged for 17 December 1982. He attended on this occasion and was found to be incapable of work by the medical referee. The previous decision to disallow payment of benefit for six weeks was revised in the light of the medical referee's report and arrears of benefit due, less the amount of supplementary welfare allowance advanced by the South Eastern Health Board, were paid on 5 January 1983.
17.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
All arrears of unemployment assistance due to the person concerned were paid on 21 January 1983.
Further weekly payments at £18.50 being the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable of £25.45 less means £6.95 will be made as they become due.
18.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when arrears of unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned was in receipt of flat rate unemployment benefit at the rate of £52.15 weekly and pay-related benefit at the rate of £38.15 making a combined payment of £90.30 until 1 November 1982 when he exhausted 147 days of pay-related benefit. Pay-related benefit for the first 147 days amounts to 40 per cent of reckonable earnings. For the next 78 days pay-related benefit is calculated at 30 per cent of reckonable earnings. Accordingly from 2 November pay-related benefit was reduced to £28.81 weekly and the person concerned is presently received combined payments at £80.76 weekly.
He has accordingly received all flat rate unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit to which he is entitled and no arrears are due to him.
20.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 16 April 1982, submitting one medical certificate only indicating that on that date she was incapable of work. Continuing medical evidence is necessary to establish the duration of incapacity. She was not in any event qualified for payment as, according to the records of the Department, she had no contributions paid or credited in the contribution year 1980-81 which governed her claim. To qualify for benefit she required at least 26 contributions in that year. She was informed accordingly on 23 April 1982 and requested to furnish details of any employment she might have had. No reply was however received.
A new benefit year commenced in January 1983 but the person concerned is still not entitled to benefit as she has a total of only 19 weeks of insurable employment recorded in the 1981-82 contribution year which now governs her claim.
21.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when injury benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned claimed occupational injury benefit on 4 January 1983 in respect of an incapacity which he attributed to an accident at work on 22 November 1982.
Following investigation of the accident, the claim was allowed and injury benefit was awarded on 24 January at the maximum appropriate rate with effect from the date of the accident.
All injury and pay-related benefit due in respect of the medical evidence received to date has been issued.
22.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when arrears of disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned was paid all arrears of disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 16 December 1982, the date of the latest medical evidence received, on 25 January 1983.