asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit at the maximum rate is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
677.
The person concerned is at present in receipt of the maximum flat rate unemployment benefit payable to her as a married woman, £27.80 weekly.
However, to enable her entitlement to pay-related benefit with flat rate unemployment benefit to be determined she has been asked to furnish a form P45 or a statement from her employer showing the amount of her earnings since 6 April 1983, but to date she has not done so.
When the necessary information comes to hand her entitlement to pay-related benefit will be determined forthwith.
678.
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 30 March 1983. She is not entitled to payment of benefit because, according to the records of the Department, she had not the required minimum of 26 paid or credited contributions in 1981-1982, the contribution year governing her claim. According to the records of the Department she had no paid or credited contributions in that year.
Credited contributions are being awarded in respect of the medical certificates submitted.
679.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit has not yet been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned has been receiving unemployment benefit, and inquiries to establish his entitlement to pay-related benefit as a supplement to his unemployment benefit were only recently completed. Arrangements are being made to pay all arrears due to him during the coming week. In the course of examining his claim, it came to light that he had been underpaid £1 a week during the first 26 weeks of his claim and the £26 due to him on that account will also be paid to him in the coming week.
Further weekly payments of £28.53, including £2.28 pay-related benefit, will continue to be made as they become due.
680.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 3 May 1983 and was paid from 6 May 1983, fourth day of incapacity.
A cheque for the amount of benefit payable to 18 June 1983, the date of the latest medical certificate received, less amount of supplementary welfare allowance advanced by the Eastern Health Board, was issued on 20 June 1983.
681.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment assistance is being paid at a rate of £21.50 per week rather than the maximum rate to a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
In order to qualify for unemployment assistance at the maximum rate a person must be assessed with nil means. The person concerned was assessed with weekly means of £4.35 derived from self-employment as a painter. He is, therefore, receiving £21.10 a week being the maximum weekly rate in his case £25.45 less means £4.35.
682.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether in the event of a report being given of a welfare claimant abusing benefit or assistance and working at the same time, it is normal practice for the claimant's benefit to be stopped automatically until such time as investigations are completed; if so, if he feels that such a procedure is in accordance with the normal principles of our legal system which hold that a person is innocent until proven guilty; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is not the practice in my Department to suspend social welfare payments in the circumstances referred to. In accordance with the principles of natural justice, before any decision is made to terminate payment of benefit the substance of the information available to the Department is brought to the attention of the claimant and he is afforded an opportunity to reply. Only in the light of his reply is a decision made to terminate payment or not. In the event of payment being disallowed the claimant is advised of his right to appeal against the disallowance.
683.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether it is policy or practice to withhold the payment of unemployment benefit or assistance or supplementary allowance from a claimant while that claimant has lodged an appeal that the level of assistance is too low.
It is not the policy or the practice to withhold payment from a claimant to unemployment benefit, unemployment assistance or supplementary welfare allowance who has appealed against the amount of payment authorised in his case. He continues to receive the amount of payment authorised pending the outcome of the appeal.
The amount of the payment is then reviewed in the light of the appeals officer's decision.
684.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare his Department's policy under the supplementary welfare allowances scheme for the payment of deposits for flats and electricity connections for people in urgent need of accommodation and without means; whether there is a uniform policy at work throughout the health board areas; whether there is a maximum or minimum for such payments; and whether his Department approves of the practice whereby voluntary organisations working with the poor pay such deposits on the basis of their being later refunded by the community welfare officer.
Applications for assistance in the circumstances referred to may be dealt with under the provision in the supplementary welfare allowances scheme enabling a health board to make a single payment to meet an exceptional need. Payments of this nature may be made in a wide variety of circumstances, each case is assessed on its merits and no maximum or minimum payments are prescribed. Cases of this type are dealt with sympathetically in all health board areas.
No formal arrangements exist between health boards and voluntary organisations whereby deposits paid by those organisations are recouped by the health boards although this practice occurs from time to time in some cases. If the practice proves satisfactory in solving a difficulty in particular instances there would be no objection to it.
685.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the position in regard to an application for free electricity from a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
There is no trace of the receipt of an application for a free electricity allowance from the person concerned either in the Department or in the district ESB office.
An application form was, therefore, issued to him on 20 June 1983 and it should be completed and forwarded in the first instance to the ESB for attention.
On receipt of the completed application in the Department, the matter will be considered further and he will be notified of the outcome.