asked the Minister for Social Welfare the steps he is taking to reduce the delays in processing claims and appeals for unemployment assistance.
25.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
13.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will explain the long delay in the assessment of persons who have applied for unemployment assistance and also the delay in the processing of appeals.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 25 together.
In the last year there were more than 50,000 new applications for qualification certificates for unemployment assistance. Persons claiming unemployment benefit are advised of the need to apply for a qualification certificate about three months before exhaustion of their benefit. If they apply when advised to do so they should be able to go on to unemployment assistance without experiencing any delay. In general applications for unemployment assistance are processed in six to eight weeks.
The need for individual investigation of cases and assessment of means by a social welfare officer, combined with the continuing rise in numbers claiming unemployment assistance has, however, given rise to longer delays in some cases. Despite reorganisation and redeployment of staff within my Department and streamlining of working methods and systems, it must be said that the overall amount of staff available to my Department has not matched fully the huge additional workload placed on it in recent years.
As regards delays in processing appeals, significant delays can occur where an oral hearing is necessary and particularly where further investigations of means by the social welfare officer are looked for before the decision is made. There has, however, been, in recent months, a considerable reduction in the time taken to deal with all appeals under the unemployment assistance scheme, including appeals which are the subject of an oral hearing.
The improvement arises largely as a result of the appointment of two additional appeals officers at the end of 1984 and the appointment of a number of temporary appeals officers last May to deal with oral hearings of appeals by smallholders. In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that every effort will continue to be made within the available resources to ensure that unemployment assistance claims and appeals are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
14.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will make a comprehensive statement on the delay in the assessment of persons who have applied for a non-contributory old age pension especially where there is a transfer of property.
Old age pension is payable at age 66 years and this age can be anticipated by applicants who may in their own interests claim in advance. Under the legislation claims to pension will be accepted up to four months in advance of the applicant's 66th birthday. Claims which are made at the start of this period are, generally, decided and, where appropriate, put into payment by the due date.
Where transfers of land are involved, a certified copy of the deed of transfer must be produced. The time factor here is not within the Department's control and, as in the case of pension applications, timely attention to this matter pays dividends in terms of avoiding delay in the payment of pension entitlement.
15.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when social welfare benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13; and the amount of benefit due for payment.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 8 October 1985, following exhaustion of her entitlement to unemployment benefit. Pending a full investigation of her means by a social welfare officer, she was paid the maximum appropriate rate of unemployment assistance on the basis of details furnished by her at the time of her claim. However, she failed to co-operate with the social welfare officer in the investigation of her means and her claim for unemployment assistance was, accordingly, disallowed on the grounds that by failing to furnish particulars of her means she failed to show that her means did not exceed the statutory limit. She refunded all unemployment assistance overpaid to her and ceased signing as unemployed. She claimed disability benefit from 25 November 1985. Benefit was authorised from 28 November 1985, the fourth day of incapacity, at the weekly rate of £39.50, the maximum rate for a single person. Pay-related benefit was also authorised from 16 December 1985, the 19th day of incapacity, at the weekly rate of £16.35. All benefit payable has been issued on receipt of medical evidence of incapacity to 13 January 1986, the date of the latest medical certificate received.
16.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the reported increase in the incidence of people borrowing from moneylenders, particularly among social welfare recipients, he has any plans to introduce a more flexible system of supplementary welfare allowance payments to assist those in financial difficulties and to help prevent them turning to moneylenders.
The supplementary welfare allowances scheme is a flexible one which allows a large degree of discretion to community welfare officers in its administration. The scheme is designed to deal with cases of genuine hardship or exceptional need among social welfare recipients and all applications for assistance are dealt with sympathetically. The scheme is under regular review and any suggestions for its improvement will be welcomed by the Department. As the Deputy is aware, a review of the scheme is part of the function of the Commission on Social Welfare in its general examination of the social welfare system as a whole and any proposals put forward by the commission in this area will be fully considered.
17.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason persons resident in the Shankill area of County Dublin do not qualify for fuel vouchers under the urban fuel scheme despite the fact that persons living in the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire area are included; and if he will make a statement in relation to this piece of discrimination.
Under the terms of the urban fuel scheme, administered by local authorities in 17 cities and towns (including Dublin and Dún Laoghaire), mainly along the eastern and southern seaboards, persons in receipt of non-contributory old age and blind pensions, widows' pensions (contributory and non-contributory) and unemployment assistance recipients with dependants have automatic entitlement to fuel vouchers. The scheme is confined to eligible persons resident within the functional areas of the local authorities concerned or to eligible persons rehoused by the local authorities outside those areas. Persons resident in the Shankill area do not qualify under the urban scheme on residence grounds.
However, persons in that area who wish to apply for fuel allowances may do so under the national fuel scheme, administered in Dublin by the Eastern Health Board. The situation wherein there are two separate fuel schemes with different conditions for entitlement is undoubtedly unsatisfactory. Proposals for rationalisation with a view to the introduction of a single scheme with uniform criteria of eligibility, based on need, are, however, under consideration at present.
18.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit was withdrawn from a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan.
The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that his means, derived from the profit from his holding exceeded the statutory limit. He appealed against the disallowance of his claim and arising from contentions made by him in support of his appeal, the case was returned to the social welfare officer for further inquiries.
On completion of the inquiries, the case was referred to an appeals officer, who assessed his means at £67.30 weekly. The person concerned is, accordingly, entitled from 23 October 1985, to unemployment assistance at £32.75 weekly, being the appropriate maximum rate payable in his case of £100.05 less means of £67.30. Payment will commence this week and all arrears due will be paid. Weekly payments will continue to be made as they become due.
19.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if there has been a reduction in the number of persons in receipt of prescribed relatives allowance.
The number of persons receiving prescribed relatives allowance has been falling for some years. The number has fallen gradually from a total of 3,045 in December 1981 to a total of 1,524 in December 1985.
20.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that disability benefit is withdrawn from recipients when their benefit is terminated without prior warning or notice and, as a result, undue hardship is caused to these people.
Where a person has at least 26 but fewer than 156 contributions paid at the appropriate rate since entry into insurable employment payment of disability benefit is limited to 52 weeks. Every effort is made to ensure that claimants are notified in advance of cessation of payment. All claims which are subject to the 52 week limitation on payment are examined as they approach the end of the payment period in order to make absolutely certain that there has been no change in the claimant's insurance record which would alter the duration of entitlement. Claimants are then advised of the forthcoming termination of payment and normally this notification is issued in advance of the last date for which payment is due. Occasionally due to pressure of work and the severe limitation on staffing resources payment of benefit has actually ended before the notice could be issued to the claimant. However, this has occured in only a relatively small number of cases and every effort is being made to prevent its recurrence.