asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown of the rates of pay-related and unemployment benefits being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow as he feels that he is not receiving the correct amount.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
371.
The person concerned is in receipt of unemployment benefit at the weekly rate of £34.80. This is the appropriate maximum personal rate payable to a single person.
The person concerned had £4,360 reckonable earnings in the relevant income tax year from 6 April 1981 to 5 April 1982. Pay-related benefit was authorised at £12.80 per week. All benefit due to date has been paid and further payments of unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit at the combined weekly rate of £47.60 will continue as they fall due.
372.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown of the unemployment and pay related benefits being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned was paid unemployment benefit at the reduced weekly rate of £61.95, which is the rate appropriate to a married man with one qualified child and with 27 reckonable contributions in the relevant governing contribution year from 6 April 1981 to 5 April 1982.
He had insufficient earnings to be entitled to pay-related benefit with his flat-rate unemployment benefit. All unemployment benefit due to date has been paid and further weekly payments of £61.95 are continuing as they fall due.
373.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown of the unemployment benefit being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny as he considers that he is not receiving full benefit.
The person concerned is in receipt of £34.80 flat rate unemployment benefit which is the maximum personal weekly rate payable to a single person.
Pay-related benefit was authorised at £14.08 per week. This is the rate appropriate to a person with earnings of £4,615 in the 6 April 1981 to 5 April 1982 income tax period. All unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit due up to 18 November 1983 has been paid. He ceased to sign the unemployed register from that date.
374.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow as he has been signing for the last 18 weeks, is destitute and lives alone.
The person claimed unemployment assistance and his case was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means. When the inquiries were completed he was assessed with means at £45.00 weekly derived from self-employment as an electrician. This amount exceeded the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable to him and his claim was disallowed.
He appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and his case was referred to an appeals officer. The appeals officer upheld the assessment of his means at £45.00 and he does not accordingly qualify for payment.
375.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Carlow who has been receiving unemployment assistance for the past two years has not received any payment for the last ten weeks.
The person concerned refused to co-operate with a social welfare officer in the course of an investigation of his means and his unemployment assistance claim was disallowed on the grounds that by failing to furnish details of his means, he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit.
He appealed against the disallowance. His case was referred again to the social welfare officer to afford him a further opportunity to co-operate in the investigation of his case. When these investigations are completed his case will be determined by an appeals officer and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of his decision.
376.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when arrears of invalidity pensions will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned has been awarded an invalidity pension from 22 September 1983. The pension book payable from 13 October 1983, was issued to the designated post office of payment on 11 October 1983.
Arrears in respect of the period from 22 September 1983 to 12 October 1983, less the amount of disability benefit paid during that period, were issued by payable order on 11 November, 1983.
377.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who has been signing for eight weeks.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment benefit could not be determined until inquiries to establish that he fulfilled the contribution conditions were completed. The investigations were recently completed and unemployment benefit at the maximum rate of £34.80 weekly was allowed together with pay-related benefit at £5.73 weekly. Arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due this week.
Further combined payments at £40.53 will be made as weekly payments become due.
378.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a final decision will be made on an appeal against a decision refusing unemployment assistance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned was assessed with means at £38.45 weekly derived from the value of board and lodging in his parents' holding and his unemployment assistance claim was disallowed. He appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and his case was referred to an appeals officer for determination. The appeals officer reduced the assessment of his means to £30 weekly but as this amount exceeded the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable to him the disallowance of his claim continued to stand.
He applied to have his means reinvestigated on 17 August 1983 and his case was referred again to a social welfare officer. Following the completion of inquiries his means were again assessed at £30 weekly and the disallowance of his unemployment assistance claim remains unaltered. He last signed as unemployed on 26 July 1983.
379.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance cannot be determined until inquiries about his means have been completed. The social welfare officer investigating the case made numerous calls to his residence but the applicant was not available for interview. Consequently, no further action could be taken in the matter.
He was in receipt of a supplementary welfare allowance during the period of his claim from 4 August 1983 to 10 October 1983 after which he ceased to sign as unemployed.
380.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an old age pension which was applied for on 29 July 1983 will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
It has been decided by an appeals officer that the person concerned is entitled to an old age pension at the maximum rate of £38.60 from 29 August 1983. A pension book payable from 7 October 1983 at the appropriate weekly rate has issued to the pensioner and arrears due will be issued in the near future.
381.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway who is available for work.
The unemployment benefit claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that she was not making genuine efforts to find work and accordingly she was not available for work. She appealed against the disallowance and attended an oral hearing of her case on 15 November 1983. The appeals officer upheld the disallowance of her claim.
Her claim was reviewed from 16 November 1983 and as she was regarded as fulfilling the conditions of seeking employment from that date her unemployment benefit claim was allowed at the rate of £30.60 weekly. All arrears due have been paid and further payments will be made as weekly payments become due.
382.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason no increase in unemployment assistance has been given to a person (details supplied) in County Galway for the past four years.
Increases in the rate of unemployment assistance were not applied to recipients with means assessed on the notional value of their holdings since 31 March 1982.
The person concerned has been in receipt of unemployment assistance since 19 April 1977 and the rate of unemployment assistance payable to him was last increased to £20.60 weekly from 31 March 1982. However, his case was recently referred to a social welfare officer for a reinvestigation of his means. When the inquiries are completed his means will be assessed and the rate of unemployment assistance payable to him will be determined accordingly.
383.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will provide a free travel pass to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
A free travel pass was issued to the person concerned on 28 November 1983.
384.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Galway is at present in receipt of unemployment benefit at the maximum rate; and, if not, if he will ensure that the situation is rectified immediately.
The person concerned does not satisfy the contribution conditions for maximum flat-rate unemployment benefit as she has fewer than 48 reckonable contributions in the contribution period 6 April 1981 to 5 April 1982 which governs her entitlement to unemployment benefit. According to the Department's records she has 44 contributions and she is at present in receipt of the appropriate rate of unemployment benefit payable to her, £29.65 weekly.
She is not qualified for pay-related benefit with her flat-rate unemployment benefit as the amount of her flat-rate unemployment benefit exceeds the 85 per cent limit applicable to her, which in her case amounts to £10.33 weekly.
385.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the non-payment of a deserted wife's allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
It is a condition of the deserted wives' allowance-benefit schemes that the separation must have preceded the date of claim by at least three months. The claim of the person concerned was refused because she did not satisfy this condition. Her application was received in the Department on 27 September 1983 and the "date of desertion" was given as 27 August 1983. Notification of the disallowance of the claim was sent to her on 24 October 1983 and she was informed that it would be open to her to re-apply when three months had elapsed.
Since more than three months have now elapsed since 27 August 1983 the Deputy's question is being regarded as a renewed application on the claimant's behalf. The case is being referred to a local officer of the Department for investigation and when this is completed a decision will be given and the claimant will be notified of the outcome.
386.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit was withdrawn from a person (details supplied) in County Dublin.
The person concerned has not been receiving disability benefit from the Department of Social Welfare. She claimed disability benefit from 3 November 1966 to July 1967 but was not qualified for payment as she had only 20 paid contributions to her credit since entry into insurable employment in 1965. She would not have qualified subsequently for payment as no further contributions have been paid on her behalf. The payment referred to in the additional information furnished with the Deputy's question is not a social welfare payment.
387.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the results of an appeal against the disallowance of unemployment assistance will be made known to a person (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The person concerned appealed against the disallowance of his unemployment assistance claim and his case has been referred to an appeals officer for determination. Arrangements have been made to hold an oral hearing of his appeal during the second week of December. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed when the decision of the appeals officer is made known.
In the meantime, payment of supplementary welfare allowance is being made to him pending the outcome of his case.
388.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to expedite the payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned is a land holder and an applicant for unemployment benefit. He did not satisfy the contribution condition of having 78 paid contributions in a three year period and as the income from his holding exceeded £2 daily his unemployment claim was disallowed. He is, however, at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at £34.00 weekly.
389.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be restored to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
During the course of a review of his case the person concerned refused to co-operate with the social welfare officer investigating his means for the purpose of his entitlement to unemployment assistance. He was, however, afforded a further opportunity to disclose all details about his means but he was not prepared to do so.
His unemployment assistance claim was accordingly disallowed from 17 August 1983 on the grounds that by failing to furnish details of his means he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit. He ceased to sign as unemployed after 30 August 1983.
390.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be restored to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
It has not been possible to trace a claim to unemployment assistance which refers to the person named in the details supplied. Further inquiries will be made in this matter if the Deputy will furnish additional information to enable the person concerned to be identified.
391.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
It has not been possible to trace a claim to unemployment benefit or assistance which refers to the person named in the details supplied. Further inquiries will be made in the matter if the Deputy will furnish additional information about the applicant.