asked the Minister for Health the reason the payment of special allowances to a person (details supplied) in Dublin has been refused.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
256.
The person in question has been granted a domiciliary care allowance at the rate of £55 per month in respect of her mentally handicapped child. Payment will commence on March 1, and will be back-dated to 21 October 1982. Applications for domiciliary care allowances in respect of two other children have been refused on medical grounds.
257.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The person concerned furnished an incorrect PRSI number when lodging her unemployment benefit claim and it was not possible to identify her contribution record. She only recently supplied the correct number and her claim for unemployment benefit has been allowed at the rate of £31.65 weekly which is the maximum entitlement in her case. Arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due this week and further weekly payments will be made as they become due.
258.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned has been paid disability benefit to 12 January 1983. Payment was disallowed after that date following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She was certified by her doctor as fit to resume work on 19 January 1983.
259.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the immediate payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon.
Inquiries to establish the contribution record of the person concerned were recently completed and her unemployment benefit claim has been allowed at the rate of £31.65 weekly which is the maximum entitlement in her case. All arrears of benefit due to her were paid on 11 February 1983. Further weekly payments will be made as they become due.
260.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned has been granted unemployment assistance at the rate of £19.50 a week, being the maximum rate in his case, £57.95 less means of £38.45. His means are derived from self-employment as a painter-decorator. Arrangements have been made to pay this week all arrears of unemployment assistance due and further weekly payments of £19.50 will be made as they become due.
261.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay unemployment and pay-related benefits at the full rates to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned is at present engaged in short-time working for three days each week and the weekly payment of £50.64 which he receives represents the full rate of flat-rate unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit to which he is entitled during the remainder of the week. He is entitled to the maximum flat-rate unemployment benefit of £100 weekly payable to a married man with seven qualified children. However, the rate of pay-related benefit payable to him is limited to £1.28 weekly as the total amount of flat-rate unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit may not exceed his reckonable weekly earnings, £101.28, during the income tax period 6 April 1980 to 5 April 1981.
262.
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 disability benefit from 5 January 1983. A delay in authorising payment on the claim occurred because she quoted an incorrect RSI number. When the correct number was ascertained payment due on the claim was issued.
263.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for an early decision on an appeal for the continued payment of disability benefit by a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit to 22 January 1983. Payment was disallowed after that date following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed against the disallowance and, in connection with her appeal, arrangements are being made to have her examined by a different medical referee as soon as possible. Her entitlement to further payment will be reviewed in the light of the medical referee's report following this examination.
264.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit at the full rate and pay-related benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Disability benefit at the maximum rate appropriate to a married couple with one dependent child and pay-related benefit based on the claimant's reckonable earnings in the 1981-82 tax year, have issued to the person concerned. He has been paid to 31 January 1983, the date of the latest medical evidence received in my Department.
265.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a living alone allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned is not entitled to a living alone allowance as he is not in receipt of a payment such as old age pension which attracts this supplement. His repeat old age pension claim was disallowed recently by an appeals officer as the assessment of his means, consisting of a British retirement pension and capital, exceeds the statutory limit of £38.00 a week.
266.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will be made on social welfare entitlements for a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned who is a postal applicant claimed unemployment benefit but his claim was disallowed on the grounds that he was not available for employment.
He appealed against the disallowance and following an oral hearing of his case on 12 October 1982 an appeals officer upheld the disqualification of his claim. He was written to and advised of the decision of the appeals officer. He ceased to sign as unemployed after 1 February 1983.
267.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if unemployment benefit at the full rate and pay-related benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned was awarded retirement pension with effect from 11 November 1982. He had been receiving disability benefit and pay-related benefit to 8 January 1983.
The amount of pay-related benefit paid to him was restricted as the total amount of disability benefit, including increases paid for adult and child dependents, and pay-related benefit may not exceed a person's reckonable weekly earnings in the tax year governing his claim.
A retirement pension book was issued to him on 27 January 1983 the first payment order therein being dated 10 February 1983. Arrears of pension from 11 November 1982 to 9 February 1983, less disability benefit and pay-related benefit paid during that period, have been issued to him. He has therefore now received all benefit to which he is entitled.
268.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned is not the holder of a qualification certificate which is a prerequisite for entitlement to unemployment assistance. His qualification certificate was revoked in 1980 on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit.
He re-applied for unemployment assistance and his case has been referred to a social welfare officer for investigation. Inquiries are still being made in his case and when they are completed his means will be assessed and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined.
269.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has had her pension reduced; and if he will take steps to restore it.
The old age pension of the person concerned has been reduced following a recent reinvestigation of her claim which revealed that her means had increased since they were last assessed in 1979.
The revised assessment of the person's means, consisting of her British retirement pension, capital and free lodgings under a deed of transfer of a farm, entitles her to a pension at the minimum rate of £2.45 a week. This rate is in payment pending the local pension committee's decision on her case.
270.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who applied for unemployment assistance investigated as soon as possible.
It has not been possible to trace receipt of a claim to unemployment assistance which refers to the person named in the details supplied.
Further inquiries in the matter will be made if the Deputy will furnish additional information to enable the person concerned to be identified.
271.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have unemployment assistance at the full rate paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
In order to qualify for unemployment assistance at the full rate a person must be assessed with nil means. The person concerned has been assessed with weekly means of £53.85 derived from his farm, leaving him entitled to unemployment assistance of £4.10 a week, being the maximum weekly rate in his case £57.95 less means £53.85. He has appealed against the amount of means assessed and his case is being referred to an appeals officer for determination. His entitlement will be reviewed in the light of his decision.
272.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin having regard to the fact that she personally handed in the appropriate certificates to the Department; and if payment will be made to her as a matter of urgency.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 18 December 1982. She was not entitled to payment as she had not the required minimum of 26 paid or credited contributions in 1980-81, the contribution year governing her claim. According to the records of the Department she had no contributions in that year.
A new benefit year commenced on 3 January 1983 and entitlement to benefit from that date is determined on the basis of her 1981-82 insurance record. As she has a total of 40 contributions for 1981-82 she qualifies for payment at a reduced weekly rate.
A cheque in payment of disability benefit due from 3 January 1983 to 7 February 1983, date of latest medical certificate received, was issued to her on 14 February 1983. She is not entitled to pay-related benefit as there are no reckonable earnings recorded for her for 1980-81, the relevant income tax year governing her claim for this benefit.
273.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit for 52 weeks from 11 July 1981 to 12 July 1982 based on his insurance record of 52 contributions in 1979-80. From 13 July 1982 the weekly rate of benefit payable to him depended on his insurance record in 1980-81. As he had only 30 contributions in that year his weekly rate was reduced to £28.30. To qualify for maximum benefit he would have needed at least 48 contributions paid or credited.
From 3 January 1983, the commencement of a new benefit year, his entitlement to benefit depended on his 1981-82 insurance record. He had a total of 38 contributions in 1981-82 which gave him entitlement to disability benefit at £29.30 per week. All disability benefit due to him to 19 February 1983 has been paid.
274.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a contributory old age pension has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin.
The person concerned attained age 66 years on 15 June 1979 and claimed contributory old age pension.
One of the conditions for receipt of this pension requires a person to have a yearly average of not less than 20 reckonable contributions from the beginning of the contribution year in which he entered into insurance to the end of the last complete contribution year before he attained pension age. As the claimant entered into insurance in the final week of the 1958 contribution year the average test period in his case is from 6 January 1958 to the end of the 1978 contribution year. Including credited contributions for the first 51 weeks of 1958 he had a total of 350 qualifying contributions in this 21-year period and as this is equal to a yearly average of only 16 he does not qualify for a contributory old age pension. This decision was upheld by an appeals officer whose decision in the matter is final unless new facts which were not previously available come to light.
275.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
The person concerned is a short-time worker and is receiving flat-rate unemployment benefit of £15.83 being the full amount of flat-rate benefit to which he is entitled while working for three days a week.
Inquiries to establish his entitlement to pay-related benefit were recently completed and payment of £9.88 a week has been authorised. All arrears of pay-related benefit due to him will be paid this week, and combined weekly payments of £25.71 will be made as they become due.
276.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance could not be determined until inquiries about his means were completed.
These investigations were only recently completed following which his means were assessed as nil. He is accordingly entitled to unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £63.75 and arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due to him this week. He ceased to sign as unemployed on 25 January 1983.