asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 who is on an invalidity pension and has seven dependants has been refused fuel vouchers; and if he will review the position.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
68.
It is understood from the Eastern Health Board, who are responsible for the administration of the national fuel scheme in Dublin, that the application of the person concerned for a fuel allowance under the scheme was refused on the ground that he does not fulfil the statutory condition which requires him to be living alone or only with certain excepted persons. In addition to his six dependant children, he has two other children who are engaged in full time employment and they also reside with the applicant. If the person concerned is dissatisfied with this decision it is open to him to appeal against it by writing to the appeals officer. Eastern Health Board, 37 Castle Street, Dublin 2.
69.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decison will be made on a repeat claim for an old age pension for a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
A repeat claim to old age pension from the person concerned has been partially investigated. The social welfare officer is awaiting details on the transfer of a holding. When the required information is received, the case will be referred to a deciding officer and the perons concerned will be notified of the decision without delay.
70.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
Before the entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance could be determined it was necessary to have his claim referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means. The inquiries were recently completed and he was assessed with nil means. He is, accordingly, entitled to unemployment assistance at the appropriate maximum weekly rate of £33.80 from 19 September 1985. Weekly payments will commence this week and will continue to be made as they become due. The person concerned was in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance pending the outcome of his claim and when the amount to be recouped to his local health board is known the balance of any arrears due will be paid to him.
71.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the type of welfare being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; the reason this was recently reduced; the basis of calculation of the present weekly payment; and when the payment will next be reviewed.
The rate of unemployment benefit payable is reduced after 156 days of benefit, where an applicant does not satisfy the contribution condition of having 280 paid contributions in a seven year period. The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 12 June 1985 and this claim forms one period of interruption of employment with a previous claim from 20 February 1982 to 5 May 1982, as he had been in continuous receipt of disability benefit for the period between the two claims. The person concerned did not satisfy the contribution condition of having 280 paid contributions in the seven year period. Accordingly, the rate of unemployment benefit payable to him was reduced from £85 weekly, which is the maximum rate applicable to a claimant with an adult dependant and two dependent children, to £73.85 weekly from 30 September 1985, the 157th day of his claim to unemployment benefit. Further weekly payments will continue to be made as they become due.
He is not entitled to pay-related benefit as entitlement to that benefit with flat rate unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that the weekly sum of pay-related benefit, flat rate unemployment benefit and income tax rebate may not exceed 85 per cent of the average net weekly earnings of the claimant, since the beginning of the income tax year in which the claim is made. The present claim is linked with the claim to unemployment benefit made in 1982 and the 85 per cent limit, calculated at £59.79 in 1982, still applies. The flat rate unemployment benefit payable to the person concerned exceeds the 85 per cent limit applicable in his case and accordingly pay-related benefit is not payable.
72.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he is considering the possibility of allowing those who leave the PAYE sector and start up their own business or become self employed in any sense, to continue to pay insurance contributions to fulfil contribution requirements for a contributory old age pension as in a case (details supplied).
Existing regulations provide for the payment of voluntary contributions by an insured person who ceases to be covered by compulsory insurance provided he is under 66 years of age and had at least 156 weeks of insurable employment for which the appropriate contributions were paid while he was compulsorily insured. Application must be made before the end of the contribution year following that in which compulsory insurance ceased. A voluntary contributor who had been compulsorily insured for benefits which included old age contributory pension pays a contribution which provides cover for that pension.
To qualify for old age contributory pension a claimant must have had at least 156 reckonable contributions paid and must have a yearly average of at least 20 contributions paid or credited per contribution year from 1953 or from the commencement of the contribution year in which he entered insurance, if later than 1953, up to the end of the last complete contribution year before age 66. In relation to the details quoted by the Deputy, it is possible that a person who ceased paying contributions at about the age of 55 could still satisfy the contribution conditions for an old age contributory pension. If the Deputy could therefore quote the identity and RSI/ insurance numbers of the person concerned his entitlement to old age contributory pension will be examined.
73.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he will personally investigate and review the case of a person (details supplied) in County Wexford who was receiving unemployment assistance up to two weeks ago.
In accordance with present legislation a married woman may be entitled to a qualification certificate, which is necessary in order to qualify for unemployment assistance, only if she satisfies either of the following conditions: (1) that her husband is a dependant of her; (2) that she is not a dependant of her husband.
The person concerned, who recently married, had her unemployment assistance terminated on the ground that she was a married woman living with her husband. Arrangements were made to refer her case to a social welfare officer for a full investigation of her domestic situation. It is expected that the investigation will be completed shortly, and her entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined in the light of the outcome.
74.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the financial help available to a person (details supplied) aged 52 who returned from England and gave up her job to come home to nurse her elderly parents in their own home who are aged 82 and 79 and are both invalids.
It is regretted that on the basis of the details supplied none of the schemes administered by the Department of Social Welfare would appear to be applicable to the person concerned. If the person is in need, however, she should apply for assistance under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to the local community welfare officer at the local health centre.
75.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the immediate payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a claimant must be available for and genuinely seeking employment. The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit from 27 February 1984 and her claim was disallowed on the grounds that she was not available for employment. She appealed against the disallowance and attended an oral hearing on 19 July 1984 but the appeals officer also decided that she was not available for employment.
She continued to sign the unemployed register and following inquiries to establish her availability for employment from 20 July 1984 her claim was again disallowed. She appealed against the disallowance but did not attend the oral appeal hearing on 14 May 1985 and the appeals officer decided that she was not available for employment. She ceased to sign at her local office after 21 May 1985.
76.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the immediate payment of a maternity grant due to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person claimed maternity benefit on 20 September 1985 in respect of her confinement on 17 September 1985. She was entitled to payment of benefit under the general scheme for a 12 week period from 12 August 1985 to 2 November 1985. Cheques for £434.50 and £39.50 in respect of the periods 12 August 1985 to 26 October 1985 and 27 October 1985 to 2 November 1985 issued to her on 24 October 1985 and 29 October 1985 respectively.
Question No. 77 taken as oral.
78.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will be made regarding a person (details supplied) in County Longford who applied for unemployment benefit on 3 June last.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a person must have at least 26 contributions at a class providing cover against unemployment, paid or credited in the governing contribution year. The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment benefit on his claim of 3 June 1985 is governed by his contribution record during the contribution period 6 April 1983 to 5 April 1984. Following protracted inquiries it has recently been established that his employment during this period was insurable at a class which provided cover against unemployment. Arrangements have been made for the payment next week of unemployment benefit arrears due from 3 June 1985 less the amount of unemployment assistance paid to him pending the outcome of his claim to benefit.