asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kerry was disallowed farmer's dole; and the reason he alone was singled out in his parish for investigation.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
202.
Following an investigation of his case by a social welfare officer the means of the person concerned were assessed as being in excess of the statutory limit of £2,350.40 per annum and accordingly his unemployment assistance claim had to be disallowed. Means were derived from the value of his land factually assessed, capital and the benefit of portion of his wife's pension. He has appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and his case has been again referred to a social welfare officer for further inquiries. The social welfare officer has made two calls to his residence but the applicant was not available for interview. Arrangements have been made to call again this week after which the case will be referred to an appeals officer for determination.
This case was submitted for review in accordance with normal practice whereby any change in an applicant's circumstances which would affect his rate of unemployment assistance payable is referred to a social welfare officer for reinvestigation.
203.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The information the Deputy requires is contained in the reply to Question Number 414 of Wednesday, 19 October, 1983.
204.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision on unemployment assistance will be made for a person (details supplied) in County Carlow and payment issued.
The person concerned was assessed with means of £44.50 derived from self-employment. He was paid unemployment assistance at £6 weekly, increasing from 29 June 1983 to £11.05 weekly, the maximum rate payable to him £55.55 less means £44.50 up to 15 October 1983 after which he ceased to sign as unemployed.
He appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and before referring the matter to an appeals officer for determination his case was again referred to a social welfare officer for additional inquiries about his income from self-employment. These inquiries are still being made but when they are completed his case will be decided by an appeals officer and the rate of unemployment assistance paid to him will be reviewed in the light of his decision.
205.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a children's allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The claimant has been paid children's allowance in respect of the child in question who is over 16 years of age, up to and including June 1983, in accordance with the certificate of school attendance furnished in her case. Following receipt of an inquiry from the claimant she was invited on 21 September 1983 to submit a further application for continuance of the allowance if the child in question has resumed full-time education. The appropriate claim form was also issued to her. When the completed form is received in the Department her claim will be decided and she will be notified of the outcome.
206.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
Where a person has less than 156 contributions paid since entry into insurable employment entitlement to disability benefit is limited to 52 weeks. The person concerned was paid disability benefit from 9 June 1980 to 10 June 1981 when her 52 weeks' entitlement became exhausted. She claimed disability benefit again on 23 September 1981 and payment was inadvertently made from 26 September, the fourth day of incapacity, to 31 August 1982, resulting in an overpayment of £1,129.81. Before she can requalify for disability benefit it will be necessary for her to have at least a further 13 weeks of insurable employment for which the appropriate contributions are paid.
207.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when deserted wife's benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned has been awarded deserted wife's benefit for herself and five children with effect from 14 April 1983 at the weekly rate of £88.60 increased to £99.30 from 30 June 1983. An order book payable from 20 October 1983 has been forwarded to the designated post office for collection by her and she has been notified accordingly. Arrears for the period from 14 April 1983 to 19 October 1983, less deductions in respect of supplementary welfare allowance paid to her during that time, will be issued by payable order shortly.
208.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned has been paid all disability benefit due to 22 October 1983, date of the latest medical certificate received.
209.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the rate of unemployment assistance which will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and when payment will be made.
The person concerned was assessed with means of £6.60 derived from capital and from produce supplied to him from a parent with effect from 20 April 1983. A qualification certificate was issued to the employment exchange dealing with his case but recent inquiries reveal that it was never delivered presumably having gone astray in postal transit. A duplicate qualification certificate was issued recently. The person concerned is accordingly entitled to unemployment assistance at £62.95 weekly from 20 April 1983, £69.95 from 29 June 1983 and £73.70 from 5 October 1983. Arrangements have been made to pay a current week's unemployment assistance this week and to pay all arrears due next week. Further weekly payments at £73.70 being the maximum rate payable to him £80.30 less means £6.60 will be made as they become due.
210.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit for the period from 23 April 1982 to 12 May 1983 and from 28 September 1983. As he had less than 156 contributions paid since his entry into insurable employment his title to benefit was limited to 52 weeks. This period of entitlement was completed on 22 April 1983. According to the records of the Department he had only 118 paid contributions since he entered employment in this country. He stated on his application form that he had not been employed in Britain. It has now been established that he had a total of 56 contributions paid in Britain and is qualified for payment of benefit. Accordingly a cheque for the amount of benefit due less the amount of supplementary welfare allowance advanced by the health board was issued on 18 October 1983.
211.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 26 May 1983 to 15 June 1983 and from 30 August 1983. According to the records of the Department she had less than the required minimum of 26 contributions paid in the 1981-82 year which governed her claim. The claimant supplied incorrect details regarding her RSI number as a single person and this resulted in a delay in tracing additional contributions paid on her behalf. It has now been confirmed that she had in excess of the required 26 contributions paid during 1981-82 and all payment due on both claims has been issued.
212.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 16 August 1983 and has been paid all disability benefit due to 11 October 1983, date of the latest medical evidence received. Payments for the periods 23 to 29 August 1983 and 6 to 26 September 1983 were initially withheld as he was in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance from the South-Eastern Health Board during that time and an amount of £200 was deducted from the benefit otherwise due and refunded to the health board.
213.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
Entitlement to unemployment assistance is subject to the condition that the applicant satisfies a means test and that he is the holder of a qualification certificate. The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance following the exhaustion of his title to unemployment benefit after 390 days and his case was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means. These inquiries were recently completed and a report on the claimant's means is now being made by the social welfare officer. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined in the light of the amount of means assessed against him.
214.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when deserted wife's benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
One of the conditions for receipt of deserted wife's benefit is that there must be at least 156 insurance contributions paid from the date of entry into insurance up to the date of desertion. This condition is not satisfied either on the claimant's own or her husband's insurance record in this case. She has, however, been awarded deserted wife's allowance at the maximum weekly rate of £47.70 for herself and one child with effect from 25 August 1983. An order book payable from 20 October 1983 has been forwarded to the designated post office for collection by her and she has been notified accordingly. A payable order in respect of arrears for the period from 25 August 1983 to 19 October 1983 less deductions in respect of supplementary welfare allowance paid to her during that time will be issued to her shortly.
215.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to grant a free telephone rental allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny as medical evidence has been submitted in support of her claim.
It is a condition of the free telephone rental allowance scheme that the pensioner be living entirely alone or only with persons who are so permanently incapacitated as to be unable to summon aid in an emergency.
The person referred to in the Deputy's question is residing with her daughter, who is not an incapacitated person and a free telephone rental allowance could not, therefore, be granted to the applicant. She was notified to this effect on 6 October 1983.
216.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay a non-contributory old age pension at the maximum rate to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
It was decided by the local pension committee on 1 October 1983 that the person concerned is entitled to an old age pension at the rate of £4.60 per week plus £2.40 adult dependant allowance from 1 July 1983. This is the rate appropriate to the assessment of his means, consisting of a holding and capital. Pension at this rate has been in payment on a provisional basis since 18 July 1983 pending the committee's decision.
The pensioner appealed against the committee's decision on 17 October 1983. His appeal has been referred to an appeals officer for determination and he will be notified of the outcome.
217.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay a contributory widow's pension and arrears to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
A claim from the person concerned for a widow's contributory pension was received in the Department on 6 October 1983. Inquiries regarding her entitlement to pension on the basis of her late husband's insurance record are being made at present. It is expected that they will be completed shortly and a decision on her claim will then be given.
218.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to transfer a person (details supplied) in County Cork from disability to invalidity pension.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit since 10 March 1982 and payment is being made at regular weekly intervals.
Invalidity pension is payable in place of disability benefit to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are permanently incapable of work. The person concerned is being considered for invalidity pension and in this connection arrangements are being made to have him examined by a medical referee on 27 October 1983. His entitlement to invalidity pension will be reviewed in the light of the report of this examination.
219.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay unemployment benefit and arrears to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned was unable to provide details of her RSI number or her insurance number when she lodged a claim for unemployment benefit at her local office on 28 June 1983 and in the absence of details of her recent contribution record her entitlement to unemployment benefit could not be determined.
She has been asked to furnish full details of her employment record to enable her insurance record to be established. When she does so her entitlement to unemployment benefit will be determined.
220.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay disability benefit and arrears to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed occupational injury benefit on 20 September 1983 in respect of an incapacity resulting from an accident at work on 5 September 1983.
Pending the completion of investigations arising from the accident his entitlement to disability benefit on an interim basis was examined. In the absence of any contributions under his RSI number, he failed to satisfy the qualifying contribution conditions for disability benefit.
Following investigations, injury benefit was awarded from the date of the accident. Injury benefit has been paid to 11 October 1983, the date of the latest medical certificate received.
Further inquiries are being made to determine his entitlement to pay-related benefit.
221.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay arrears of unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that by refusing to reveal details of his means he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit.
He appealed against the disallowance but before referring the case to an appeals officer the case was again referred to a social welfare officer to afford him an opportunity to reveal his means. The social welfare officer has made numerous calls to his residence but he was not available for interview. However the social welfare officer is again trying to make arrangements to interview him and after he does so, his means will be assessed and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined accordingly.
He has not signed as unemployed since 23 August 1983.
222.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is not being paid unemployment assistance at a higher rate.
The person concerned was assessed with means of £17.30 weekly, derived from the use of land.
He is at present in receipt of weekly payments of unemployment assistance at the rate of £54.10 being the maximum rate payable to him as a widower with six qualified children £71.40 less means £17.30.
If he is dissatisfied with the amount of means assessed against him it is open to him to appeal and to have his means assessed by an appeals officer. A form for this purpose may be obtained at his local office.
223.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of pensioners who would benefit from a double payment of pension at Christmas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The number of pensioners and other long-term social welfare and health allowance recipients who would benefit from a double week's payment next Christmas is approximately 446,000.
No financial provision was made in the Estimates for such a payment this year. The same position obtained in previous years and a decision to make the payment was not made until nearer the appropriate time. A similar situation exists this year and accordingly a final decision in the matter has not yet been taken.
224.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay arrears of unemployment assistance for a period of ten weeks to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance from 18 October 1982 to 30 July 1983 after which he ceased to sign as unemployed.
Weekly payments at £19.50 commenced to be paid to him from 10 February 1983 and arrangements were made to pay any arrears of unemployment assistance due to him from the beginning of his claim to 9 February 1983. However it was ascertained that he was in receipt of advances of supplementary welfare allowance during the period and accordingly all the arrears had to be recouped to the health board.