asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will pay a maternity grant to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford who applied in error to the South Eastern Health Board instead of to his Department as the original application was made on time.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
511.
There is no trace of the receipt in the Department of a claim for maternity grant from the person in question. A claim form has been issued to her for completion and, on its return, her entitlement will be considered.
512.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the immediate payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
Payment of unemployment benefit to the person concerned at the weekly rate of £31.65 will commence this week when all arrears due, less supplementary welfare allowance she received, will also be paid to her. Weekly payments will continue to be made as they become due.
513.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
Payment of unemployment assistance to the person concerned was authorised at the weekly rate of £59.20. This is the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable to a married man with nil means having two children and living in an urban area.
Payment of all arrears due, less supplementary welfare allowance which he received, was made to him on 2 March 1983.
Weekly payments will continue to be made as they become due.
514.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the payment of unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
Arrangements have been made to pay all arrears of unemployment assistance due to the person concerned this week.
Further weekly payments at £56.15 being the maximum rate payable to him £75.35 less means £19.20, derived from the value of his land, will be made as they become due.
515.
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 completed the full period of his entitlement to unemployment benefit on 30 November 1982 having received 390 days' benefit.
He applied for unemployment assistance which is subject to a means test. However, he has failed so far to make himself available for interview by the social welfare officer in connection with his means and it has not, therefore, been possible to establish whether he is qualified to receive unemployment assistance.
516.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance which was applied for eight weeks ago will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned applied on 11 January 1983 for unemployment assistance for which a qualification certificate which is a statement of means is a prerequisite.
Inquiries are at present being made to establish her means and when these are completed her entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined without delay.
517.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the payment of a children's allowance will be restored in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny as it was applied for some time ago.
The person concerned submitted an application for continuation of children's allowance on 20 January 1983, in respect of her son who reached 16 years of age on 17 January 1983.
Children's allowances at the rate of £17.50 per month were awarded in respect of this child with effect from 1 February 1983 and an allowance book with orders cashable from that date was issued to the claimant on the 2 March 1983.
The claimant is now in receipt of a monthly allowance of £91.25 in respect of her seven qualified children.
518.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned claimed occupational injury benefit on 9 December 1982, in respect of an incapacity resulting from an accident at work on 2 December 1982.
Pending the completion of investigation of the accident he was awarded disability benefit as an interim measure on 13 December 1982 from 2 December 1982, the first day of incapacity. Pay-related benefit was also awarded from the same date.
Following confirmation of the occupational accident, injury benefit was allowed on 4 January 1983 from the date of the accident and an adjusting cheque was issued for the additional benefit payable over and above the amounts already paid.
Payments issued regularly according as medical certificates were received for the period up to 28 January 1983 after which date he was certified capable of work.
519.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit which was applied for over ten months ago by a person (details supplied) in County Dublin will now be sanctioned.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 8 May 1981 and was paid from 12 May 1981, fourth day of incapacity, for a period of 52 weeks to 10 May 1982. He was not entitled to payment beyond that date as he had less than a total of 156 paid contributions since his entry into insurance. He entered insurance on 26 August 1980 and has only 40 paid contributions between that date and the date of commencement of his illness.
The claimant cannot requalify for further payment of disability benefit until he resumes work and has at least thirteen additional contribution weeks of insurable employment. In the meantime credited contributions are being allowed on receipt of continuing medical evidence of incapacity. These credited contributions serve to keep his insurance record intact during the period of his illness but do not count towards the condition which requires contributions to be paid to requalify for payment of benefit.
520.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny for the last number of weeks even though medical certificates have been submitted.
Payment of disability benefit did not issue to the person concerned after 31 January 1983 due to an administrative error. When the error was discovered the arrears of disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 21 February 1983, the date of the latest medical certificate received, were issued to him on 28 February 1983.
521.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will pay an old age pension to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford as a matter of urgency as he has transferred his property entirely to his nephew and has no means at present.
The old age pension claim of the person concerned is partially investigated and will be referred to the local pension committee for decision on completion of inquiries. The social welfare officer expects to be in a position to refer the claim to the committee in the near future.
522.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when he will grant a free television rental and a free electricity allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford as he is an old age pensioner and an invalid.
The application for a free electricity allowance from the person concerned was approved on 7 February 1983, and the ESB have confirmed that the allowance has been applied to his account from the March-April 1983 billing period onwards. He may obtain a free television licence by applying to his local post office.
523.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider increasing the rate of unemployment assistance to the full rate for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The person concerned qualified for unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £24.50, being the maximum appropriate rate in his case of £25.45 less means 95p. However, an appeals officer after an oral hearing of his case disallowed a previous unemployment benefit claim in respect of 12 days on the grounds that he was not unemployed on those days and as a result he had been overpaid to the extent of £38.63 which was recoverable out of his unemployment assistance payments. Weekly deductions of £3 were being made and it has now been arranged that reduced deductions of £1 a week will be made until the overpayment is recovered.
524.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the up-to-date position regarding an application for an old age pension by a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The old age pension claim of the person concerned has been investigated and referred to the local pension committee for decision. Payment of a pension has not been recommended by the social welfare officer as the assessment of the claimant's means, consisting of the weekly value of capital, exceeds the statutory limit of £38. If the applicant is dissatisfied with the pension committee's decision he will have the right of appeal against it.
525.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The person concerned has been now paid all disability benefit due on his claim to date.
526.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a children's allowance will continue to be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford, as she is continuing her education at the NIHE in Limerick.
The claimant has been awarded a continuation of children's allowances in respect of the child in question for the period July 1982 to June 1983. An allowance book at the monthly rate of £11.25 per month payable from February 1983 and a payable order in respect of arrears due for the period July 1982 to January 1983 have been issued to the claimant. The claimant is now in receipt of allowance of £45 per month in respect of her four qualified children.