asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
689.
Following investigation of the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned he was assessed with means of £7.50 weekly derived from the profit from his holding. He is accordingly entitled to unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £22.45 being the appropriate rate £29.95 less means £7.50. All arrears due together with payment for the current week will be issued to him this week. Weekly payments of £22.45 will continue to be made as they become due.
690.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will restore the maximum rate of unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at £69.90 weekly, the appropriate rate £79.50 less means £9.60 derived from the profit from his holding. He recently appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and arising out of contentions made by him in support of his appeal his case was referred to a social welfare officer for further inquiries. When these inquiries are completed his case will be referred to an appeals officer for determination and his rate of unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
691.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that a person (details supplied) in County Limerick who works only two days a week as a street trader in Newcastle West has been denied unemployment benefit payments for the remainder of each week; the reason he is not being paid this money; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The person concerned has not claimed unemployment benefit. However, he applied for unemployment assistance and his claim was disallowed on the grounds that by failing to disclose his means he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit. He appealed against the disallowance and arising from contentions made in support of his appeal his case was returned to the social welfare office for further inquiries. These inquiries were recently completed and his case was referred to an appeals officer for determination. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
692.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that a person (details supplied) in County Limerick has been certified as being permanently ill under doctors' certificates; and, having regard to the fact that he has a wife and four young children, if he will transfer him to invalidity pension.
Invalidity pension is payable in the place of disability benefit to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are permanently incapable of work. The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit since 30 May 1979 and payment is being made at regular weekly intervals. Arrangements are being made to have him examined by a medical referee on 13 June 1985. His entitlement to invalidity pension will be reviewed in the light of the report of this examination.
693.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in deciding on the application for unemployment benefit made ten weeks ago by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 1 April 1985 and was paid flat rate unemployment benefit of £88.35 weekly from that date being the appropriate rate applicable to a married man with three child dependants.
He is also entitled to pay-related benefit of £42.75 weekly from 22 April 1985 and all arrears due were included with his payment for week ending 21 May 1985. Combined weekly payments of flat rate unemployment benefit and pay-related benefit of £131.10 have been made to him from that date and will continue to be made as they fall due.
694.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position regarding the appeal of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry against the decision to discontinue payment of his unemployment assistance under the small farmer's scheme; and if he will arrange to have this case specially reinvestigated as a matter of urgency in view of the fact that this person did not get a chance to submit details of his expenses.
Arising out of contentions made by the person concerned in support of his appeal against the disallowance of his unemployment assistance claim his case was referred to a social welfare officer for further inquiries. When these inquiries were completed his case was referred to an appeals officer for determination.
His case is listed for oral hearing and will be dealt with at the first available opportunity. He will have an opportunity at the oral hearing to present full details of his income and expenditure. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
695.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive her widow's pension.
The claim of the person concerned to a widow's contributory pension is at present being examined. An initial investigation of her title indicates that further inquiries will be necessary before a decision can be given. The record against the insurance number she quoted for herself yields a yearly average of only 22 contributions since her entry into insurance in the 1967-68 year. A minimum of at least 24 contributions is required to qualify for a contributory pension. Her late husband had no insurance record according to the claimant.
In the meantime the local social welfare officer has been asked to call on the claimant to see if she wishes to have her entitlement to a non-contributory pension examined and if so he will make a report on her circumstances.
696.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare who is married with no dependants will be paid his contributory pension.
The person concerned reached age 66 years on 30 March 1985 and claimed a contributory old age pension on 20 April 1985. He has been awarded the pension at the rate appropriate to his yearly average of 46 contributions, including an adult dependant allowance in respect of his wife, with effect from 5 April 1985. A pension book containing orders payable from 5 April 1985 has been issued to the designated post office for collection by him and he has been notified accordingly.
697.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an appeal for unemployment assistance will be heard for a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
Arising out of contentions made by the person concerned in support of his appeal against the amount of means assessed against him his case was referred to a social welfare officer for further inquiries. These inquiries were extensive and when they were completed his case was submitted to an appeals officer for determination. His case has been listed for oral hearing and will be dealt with at the first available opportunity. His rate of unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer. He is at present in receipt of £53.05 weekly the appropriate rate £72.25 less means £19.20.
698.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a deserted wife's allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
Payment of deserted wife's allowance to the person concerned was discontinued on the grounds that she does not satisfy the conditions for receipt of the allowance. She appealed against the decision to discontinue payment and her appeal is at present with an appeals officer for determination. Should an oral hearing of the case be considered necessary she will be notified of the date and venue of the hearing as soon as it has been arranged. Meanwhile the claimant is in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance from the area health board.
699.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when arrears of an old age contributory pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
Arrears of old age contributory pension have been issued to the person concerned in respect of the period 5 October 1984 to 28 February 1985, less the amount of widow's contributory pension paid to her in that period.
700.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit from 12 April 1985. Inquiries had to be made to establish that she fulfilled the condition of being available for work. These inquries were recently completed and her claim was allowed from the date of claim at £30.90 weekly being the appropriate flat rate in her case. All arrears due will be issued to her this week and further weekly payments of £30.90 will be made as they become due.
701.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a claimant must be available for work and to fulfil this condition a claimant must be capable of, available for and genuinely seeking employment.
Following the completion of inquiries the unemployment benefit claim of the person concerned was disallowed from 20 March 1985 on the grounds that by reason of not genuinely seeking work she was not available for work. She appealed against the disallowance and arrangements have been made to hold an oral hearing of her case on Thursday, 6 June 1985. Her entitlement to unemployment benefit will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
702.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a death grant has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary in respect of her late husband; and when this will be paid.
There was a difficulty in ascertaining the insurance record of the deceased person concerned. A death grant was authorised for payment on 29 May 1985 and cheque for £100, the maximum grant payable, was issued to the wife of the deceased on 30 May 1985.
703.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a widow's pension has not yet been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary whose husband died on 16 March 1985; when this will be paid and the amount that will be paid.
The person concerned has been awarded a widow's contributory pension at the weekly rate of £55.10 with effect from 3 May 1985 (increasing to £58.65 from 12 July next). This is the maximum rate of pension payable to a widow under 66 years of age with one qualified child. A pension book with orders payable from 7 June 1985 was sent to the designated post office on 4 June 1985 for collection by her and she has been notified accordingly.
Arrears for the period 3 May to 6 June 1985, after deduction for supplementary welfare allowance paid to her during that time, will be sent direct to her shortly by means of a payable order. Her rate husband had been in receipt of an invalidity pension at the weekly rate of £79.95, which included an increase in respect of his wife and child, and this was paid to her for six weeks after his death on 15 March 1985, in place of widow's pension.
704.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the immediate payment of a special six weeks' pension allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
A pension book covering six weeks old age pension due on the death of her late husband was issued to the person concerned on 26 April 1985.
705.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will take steps to ensure that a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 will revert back from maternity benefit to invalidity pension as the person concerned has been sending in certificates each week since her maternity benefit ended and has received no payment.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 19 June 1982 and payment was made to 16 February 1985. She claimed and was paid maternity benefit for 12 weeks from 18 February 1985 to 11 May 1985. When entitlement to maternity benefit exhausted she submitted only one medical certificate indicating that she was incapable of work. Further medical evidence is necessary to establish the duration of incapacity before any payment can be made. She has been advised to submit evidence of incapacity at weekly intervals throughout her incapacity and on receipt of further medical certificates her claim will be dealt with without delay.
706.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork is not getting her full widow's pension.
The person concerned is in receipt of a widow's contributory pension at the weekly rate of £42.25, (increasing to £45 from 12 July next). This is the rate payable to a widow under 66 years of age with no qualified children and whose husband's yearly average number of insurance contributions is in the range 36 to 41. For pension at the maximum rate (in her case £43.45) an average of at least 48 is required. Her late husband's average of 41 contributions is based on his insurance record arising from his employment in the years 1947 to 1970 during which he had a total of 949 reckonable contributions. The number of years over which the average falls to be calculated is 23, i.e. from his entry into insurance (1947) up to the year prior to his death (1970). The claimant herself had no insurance record prior to 1970.