asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit from 16 April 1984 will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if pay-related benefit will be paid.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
538.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 12 April 1984 and has been paid at the maximum weekly rate for a married man with two dependant children from 16 April 1984 fourth day of incapacity to 17 May 1984 date of the latest medical certificate received. Pay-related benefit has also been issued from 3 May 1984, nineteenth day of incapacity.
539.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an appeal for a disability benefit claim which has been outstanding for some time will be arranged for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
Payment of disability benefit to the person concerned was disallowed from 20 March 1984 following an examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. He appealed against this decision and arrangements were made for another medical referee examination on 30 May 1984. He was subsequently certified fit to resume work on 14 May 1984 by his own doctor. His case is being referred to an appeals officer for a decision on his entitlement to benefit for the period from 20 March 1984 to 12 May 1984. He will be informed of the result as soon as the appeals officer gives his decision.
540.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that unemployment benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway since 22 December 1983; and if he will arrange for an early decision to be made in this application and immediate payment of all money due.
The unemployment benefit claim of the person concerned has been allowed from 6 April 1984 and arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due this week. The weekly rate payable to her at present is a combined payment of £84.32 representing flat-rate unemployment benefit £67.60 and pay-related benefit £16.72. Her entitlement to unemployment benefit from 15 December 1983 to 5 April 1984 is still under investigation to establish whether she fulfils the condition for unemployment benefit of being unemployed during the period when she signed as unemployed. It is expected that inquiries will soon be completed after which her entitlement to unemployment benefit will be determined.
541.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if unemployment assistance at the maximum rate will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned is at present in receipt of unemployemnt assistance at the weekly rate of £25.35 being the maximum rate payable £48.35 less means £23. Means are derived from capital and profit from his holding. He appealed and an appeals officer reduced the means assessment to £22.65 weekly. He is accordingly entitled to unemployment assistance at £25.70 weekly with effect from 21 December 1983. Arrears due together with the current week's entitlement will be paid to him this week. Weekly payments of £25.70 will continue to be made as they fall due.
542.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Meath.
According to the records of the Department the person concerned does not fulfil the contribution conditions for unemployment benefit. However inquiries are being made to establish his employment record during the relevant contribution period 6 April 1982 to 5 April 1983 and when these are completed his contribution record will be re-examined and his entitlement to unemploymenty benefit will be determined accordingly. In the meantime he has claimed unemployment assistance pending the outcome of his unemployment benefit claim. His case has been referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means following which his means will be assessed for the purposes of his unemployment assistance claim.
543.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason pay-related benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry as he has been unemployed for more than 12 weeks.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 27 February 1984. Payment of pay-related benefit could not be made until inquiries to establish his earnings during the relevant earnings period 6 April 1982 to 5 April 1983 were completed.
These inquiries were recently completed and he is now being paid £34.80 unemployment benefit and £8.53 pay-related benefit. All arrears due to him have been paid. Further combined weekly payments of £43.33 are continuing as they fall due.
544.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be paid all outstanding moneys on his non-contributory old age pension as it was passed on 10 April, 1984.
It was decided by the local pension committee on 10 April 1984 that the person concerned is entitled to an old age pension at the maximum rate of £38.60 plus £3 living alone allowance from 6 November 1983. The social welfare officer has appealed against this decision on the grounds that the person's means consisting of the weekly value of a holding only entitle him to pension at the reduced rate of £24.60 per week plus £3 living alone allowance. The matter has been referred to an appeals officer for determination and the claimant will be notified of the outcome in due course.
Pension at the weekly rate of £24.60 plus £3 living alone allowance is at present in payment pending the appeals officer's decision. The appropriate pension books payable from 6 January 1984 were issued on 22 February 1984 and a payable order covering arrears for the period 11 November 1983 to 30 December 1983 was issued separately on 17 February 1984.
545.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary has not been put on an invalidity pension.
The person concerned is being paid disability benefit at regular weekly intervals and payment has been made to date. A form on which to claim invalidity pension has been forwarded to him and on its return, duly completed, the claim will be dealt with without delay.
546.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit has been refused to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and when payments of this benefit will be resumed.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit from 27 August 1979 to 19 May 1984. Payment was disallowed from 21 May 1984 following an examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. He was subsequently certified fit to resume work on 21 May 1984 by his own doctor.
547.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason pay-related benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; when it will be paid; and the amount that will be paid.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit from 28 December 1983, fourth day of incapacity, to 19 May 1984. Payment was disallowed from that date following an examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work.
He was notified of this decision and of his right to appeal on 23 May 1984. He was not entitled to pay-related benefit as the amount of disability benefit payable exceeded 80 per cent of his average reckonable weekly earnings in the 1981-82 tax year which governed his entitlement to pay-related benefit.
548.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment assistance has been refused in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary as it appears that he has been erroneously assessed as having an income of £57.65 per week even though he has a large bank debt; and when this matter will be rectified.
The person concerned is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at £15.95 weekly being the maximum rate payable to him £73.60 less £57.65 means. His means are derived from the profit from his holding.
He recently appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and arrangements are being made to have his case referred to an appeals officer. The rate of unemployment assistance payable to him will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
549.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arange to have arrears of a non-contributory old age pension paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny, whose pension book was lost and recently replaced.
Following notification by the pensioner in February 1984 that his old age pension book was lost in December 1983, a replacement pension book issued and a form of undertaking to enable him to claim any arrears of pension due also issued. This form was returned to the Department at the end of April, and after inquiries with An Post which verified that the pension orders concerned were not cashed, a payable order covering the arrears due for the period 30 December 1983 to 27 January 1984 was issued on 16 May 1984.
550.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have a claim for unemployment assistance reinvestigated for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny as soon as possible as it was refused to him.
The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that the means assessed against him, £29.80 weekly exceeded the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable to him. His means are derived from land. He appealed against the assessment of means but an appeals officer also assessed his means at £29.80 weekly. If he wishes to have his means reinvestigated it is open to him to apply to his local office and arrangements will be made to refer the case to a social welfare officer for investigation.
551.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if smallholders unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Entitlement to unemployment assistance is subject to the condition that an applicant must capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work. The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance will be determined as soon as current inquiries, to ascertain that he fulfils the condition of being capable of work and to establish that he is available for work, have been completed. It is expected that the investigations will be completed shortly.
552.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan appealed against a reduction in his smallholders unemployment assistance; when a decision will be made; and the reason for the delay.
The person concerned did not lodge an appeal to date. He is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £35.15 being the maximum rate payable to him £73.60 less £38.45 means. It is open to him to appeal by obtaining an appeal form at his local office.