asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
Written Answers . - Social Welfare Benefits .
627.
: The person concerned does not satisfy the contribution condition for unemployment benefit. He was, however, in receipt of unemployment assistance at £84.65 weekly until 12 April 1983 after which he ceased to sign as unemployed.
Investigations are at present being made to establish his employment record and the apparent non-payment of contributions is being pursued by social welfare officers. When these inquiries are completed his case will be reviewed and his entitlement to unemployment benefit will be determined accordingly.
628.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware of the delay in processing claims for unemployment and disability benefit; and the steps being taken to improve the position.
: In the majority of cases where a claimant's complete insurance record is available no undue delay occurs in the processing of claims to unemployment benefit and payment is made without delay. In a minority of cases, however, delay can occur where there is no record of the claimant's contribution record. In such cases in order to enable payment to be made as quickly as possible alternative evidence is accepted to establish entitlement to benefit such as the form P.60 which employees receive annually in April from their employers.
The position in relation to disability benefit is that payments are issued promptly where claims are made correctly and the claimants are qualified on their insurance records for the receipt of benefit.
Delay in payment can arise where a claimant is not qualified for payment of benefit on the available insurance record and it is necessary to make enquiries in order to establish title to benefit. The duration of the delay in such cases will depend on the time taken to complete the inquiries. Delays in payment also occur where medical certificates are not submitted promptly to my Department or where incorrect RSI numbers are quoted.
I can assure the Deputy that I fully accept the necessity for the speedy processing of claims for all social welfare benefits and in this connection I would urge claimants to play their part in the process. It is of the utmost importance for claimants to submit claims promptly and to give complete information with their claims including the full name and address and the correct RSI number.
629.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit was not paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
: The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 12 February 1982 to 27 April 1982. She was not entitled to payment of benefit because, according to the records of the Department, she had not the required minimum of 26 contributions paid or credited in 1980-81, the contribution year governing her claim. According to the records of the Department she had 15 credited contributions in that year.
Payment of disability benefit was not made on her subsequent claim from 30 November 1982 to 1 January 1983 as the record of her contributions in the 1980-81 year also governed this claim.
From 3 January 1983, the commencement of a new benefit year, her claim is, however, governed by the 1981-82 contribution year. She has 34 credited contributions in that year. These contributions were not, however, associated with her claim in January last with the result that payment was not made at that stage. Payment has now been issued for the period from 3 January 1983 to 2 February 1983. Payment was disallowed after that date following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She has been informed of the decision to disallow payment of benefit and advised of her right to appeal if she is dissatisfied with the decision.
630.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when approval will be given for a free electricity allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
: The ESB have advised that a free electricity allowance has been applied to the electricity account of the person concerned from the April-May 1983 billing period onwards.
631.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has not yet received arrears of money which are due to her on her widow's and orphan's pension.
: Inquiries are being made regarding other payments that may have been paid in respect of the orphans. It is expected that these inquiries will be completed within a week and it will then be possible to pay arrears outstanding.
632.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has not received disability payments since 20 October 1982 although she was unfit for work seven weeks after that date and had submitted medical certificates.
: The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 21 September to 6 November 1982.
Disability benefit payable was, however, issued in error to a previous address of the claimant. One cheque was returned and re-issued to the correct address. Replacement cheques have now been issued for the other cheques incorrectly addressed.
633.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Meath has not received unemployment benefit although he applied for benefit last January.
: The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 17 January 1983 and his case was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation. Inquiries are still being made in the matter but when they are completed his means will be assessed and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined without delay.
634.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Meath has not received pay-related benefit, for which he has been waiting since 3 December.
: The person concerned was in receipt of disability benefit and pay-related benefit during the period 17 July 1982 to 27 December 1982 and he received all benefits to which he was entitled.
He claimed unemployment benefit on 28 December 1982 and he was paid flat-rate unemployment benefit at the rate of £68.05 weekly as payments became due. It was, however, necessary to ascertain his average weekly earnings to enable his entitlement to pay-related benefit with flat-rate unemployment benefit to be determined as payment is subject to the limitation that the total flat-rate unemployment benefit, pay-related benefit and income tax refund may not exceed 85 per cent of his net average weekly earnings. The enquiries were recently completed and the 85 per cent limit applicable to him amounted to £80.39.
Accordingly, he was allowed pay-related benefit at £12.34 weekly and all arrears due to him were paid last week. Further combined payments of £80.39 representing flat-rate unemployment benefit £68.05 and pay-related benefit £12.34 will be made as they become due.
635.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Meath has not received unemployment benefit, although he applied in January last.
: The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 17 January 1983 and his case was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation. Inquiries are still being made in the matter but when they are completed his means will be assessed and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined without delay.
636.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of unemployment and pay-related benefits due to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
: The person concerned is in receipt of flat-rate unemployment benefit at the maximum rate of £31.65 since the commencement of her claim. She also received pay-related benefit at £24.71 weekly from 15 February 1983 reducing to £15.44 from 4 April 1983 in accordance with the provision of the Social Welfare Act 1983.
Further combined payments of £47.09 representing flat-rate unemployment benefit £31.65 and pay-related benefit £15.44 continue to be made as they become due.
637.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a widow's pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin.
: The person concerned was awarded a widow's contributory pension at the rate of £36.25 per week with effect from 1 April 1983. This is the maximum rate of pension payable to a widow under 66 years of age with no qualified children.
A widow's pension book with orders payable from 15 April 1983 was issued to the designated post office on 12 April 1983 for collection by her. She had previously been in receipt of invalidity pension and this book was returned by her, the date of the last order cashed being 7 April 1983.
As widow's and invalidity pensions are not payable concurrently, her invalidity pension claim will now be treated as a claim to disability benefit which can be paid at a reduced rate together with widow's pension. She will be advised shortly of the position regarding her entitlement to disability and the arrears of widow's pension due for the period from 1 April 1983 to 14 April 1983, less any deductions to recover monies overpaid in the form of invalidity pension, will be issued to her by payable order.
Her late husband also worked for some time in Britain and her possible entitlement to a pension from there has been taken up with the Department of Health and Social Security in the United Kingdom who will notify her of the outcome.
638.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway who has been signing the unemployment register since last January.
: The person concerned did not satisfy the contribution conditions for payment of unemployment benefit when he lodged his claim on 3 January 1983. However following the completion of inquiries the non-paid contributions were treated as paid for the purpose of his unemployment benefit claim and all arrears of flat rate unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit due are being paid this week. Further combined payments of £68.15 representing flat-rate unemployment benefit £52.15 and pay-related benefit £16.00 will be made as weekly payments become due.
639.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
: When the person concerned claimed unemployment benefit she conveyed that she had been employed in the United Kingdom during the period 6 April 1980 to 5 April 1981. Details of her British contribution record were requested to enable her entitlement to unemployment benefit to be determined in accordance with the provisions of EEC Regulations.
However, the British authorities were unable to furnish details of United Kingdom contributions during the period and further inquiries were undertaken in the case. It was established that she entered Irish insurable employment on 1 November 1981 and consequently she was awarded pre-entry credited contributions. The effect of this was to qualify her for unemployment benefit on the basis of her Irish contribution record and payment at the maximum weekly rate of £31.65 was authorised in her case.
Arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due to her this week and further payments will be made as weekly payments become due.
640.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork did not receive disability benefit for the week ending 8 April 1983 until the following week; and the reason his payments are regularly late despite assurances given in a written reply to a parliamentary question on 15 February 1983 that no such delay would be experienced in the future.
: The records of my Department show that disability benefit cheques were issued to the person concerned on 31 March, 8 April and 14 April 1983. Cheques have been issued regularly on receipt of medical evidence of incapacity and there has been no undue delay in payment.
641.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork is receiving £3 less per week than he is entitled to as he has been told that an overpayment of industrial occupational injury benefit was made to him.
: Deductions of £3 per week were made from disability and pay-related benefit payable to the person concerned in order to recover an overpayment of occupational injury benefit. The amount overpaid was recovered on 17 January 1983 but, due to an administrative error, the deductions continued to 4 April 1983. The matter has now been rectified and the amount over-deducted repaid to the claimant.
642.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit has been stopped in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork even though she was previously declared unfit for work and awarded benefit under the same circumstances.
: The person concerned was disallowed payment of disability benefit from 7 March 1983 following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She has appealed against the disallowance and, in connection with her appeal, arrangements have been made to have her examined on 28 April 1983 by a different medical referee. Her entitlement to further payment of benefit will be reviewed in the light of the medical referee's report following this examination.
643.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork was not receiving a living alone allowance as he lived alone.
: Living alone allowance was withdrawn from the pensioner concerned last year when his son came to reside with him. A social welfare officer visited the pensioner recently and the pensioner informed the officer that his son is living with him.
644.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a decision has not yet been made on an application for an old age non-contributory pension in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork as a social welfare officer called to her five weeks ago.
: The inquiries regarding the old age pension claim of the person concerned have not yet been completed but it is hoped to complete them and to refer the claim to the local pension committee for decision this week. If a pension is payable at a higher rate than the deserted wife's allowance which the person is receiving, it will be put into payment on a provisional basis pending the committee's decision.
645.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork as he has been waiting for payment for the last four weeks.
: The person concerned has been paid disability benefit from 25 March 1983, fourth day of incapacity to 31 March 1983. Further payments will be made as covering medical evidence of incapacity is received.
646.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when free travel facilities will be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will arrange to transfer her from the contributory widow's and orphan's pension to the contributory old-age pension.
: A free travel pass was issued automatically to the person concerned in 1977 when she reached pension age. As she does not appear to be in possession of this pass a duplicate pass has been issued.
Contributory widow's pension is in payment in this case on the basis of contributions paid by her late husband. If she wishes to claim old age contributory pension, which is payable only in the case of person who have themselves been insurably employed, she should obtain a claim form for this pension from her local post office and when completed submit the form to my Department.
647.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a pension book will be returned to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
: The widow's pension book of the person concerned was issued to the newly designated post office on 8 April 1983 for collection by her. The book had been sent in as claimant had changed her address and also the post office at which she wished to obtain payment of her pension.
648.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will investigate whether the correct amount of employment contributions have been credited to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
: According to the records of my Department the person concerned entered insurance on 2 April 1973. Contributions have been paid and credited on her behalf as follows:
Contributions
|
Year |
Paid |
credited |
|
1972/73 |
11 |
39 |
|
1973/74 |
52 |
|
|
1974/75 |
52 |
|
|
1975/76 |
52 |
|
|
1976/77 |
15 |
|
|
1977/78 |
not received |
|
|
1978/79 |
not received |
|
|
1979/80 |
30 |
11 |
|
1980/81 |
52 |
|
|
1981/82 |
48 |
3 |
The credited contributions shown in 1972-73 are pre-entry credits awarded on foot of her entry into insurance in 1973. The credited contributions shown in the 1979-80 and 1981-82 contribution years are in respect of incapacity for work.
If the contribution record shown above is deficient in any way the matter will be investigated on receipt of further information from the Deputy.
649.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position regarding an application for an increase in old age pension which was made by a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
: A question for reduction of the old age pension of the person concerned with effect from 14 January 1983 is with the local pension committee for decision. The Deputy's representations regarding the assessment of the pensioner's means have been referred to the social welfare supervisor for further investigation and the claim will be reviewed in the light of his findings.