asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an invalidity pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork as he is in receipt of disability benefit for 17 months and will not work again; and when he will be granted an oral hearing in relation to the appeal he made against the decision not to allow him disablement benefit.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
108.
Invalidity pension is payable to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are permanently incapable of work. Arrangements are being made to have the person concerned examined by a medical referee on 1 December 1987. His entitlement to invalidity pension will be reviewed in the light of the report of this examination.
The person concerned claimed disablement benefit in February 1987 in respect of disablement from an occupational accident in March 1977.
Following investigations, the claim was rejected on the grounds that the disablement from which he claimed to be suffering was not caused by an accident arising out of and in the course of his insurable employment.
He appealed against the decision on 15 September 1987 and the case has been referred to an appeals officer for determination.
The appeals officer proposes to hold a hearing of the appeal as soon as possible and the person concerned will be advised of the arrangements in due course.
109.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his Department will approve the application for unemployment assistance submitted by a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
Following reinvestigation, the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned 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.
The person concerned appealed against the decision and, arising from contentions raised by him in support of his appeal, the case was returned to the social welfare officer for further inquiries.
These inquiries will be completed as soon as possible and his case will then be submitted to an appeals officer for determination.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of the appeal.
110.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if and when he intends to allow residents of Ireland, who are in receipt of benefits from the United Kingdom such as invalidity pension, to be eligible for benefits in Ireland such as free electricity allowances.
All persons aged 66 years or over permanently resident in the State are eligible for free travel regardless of nationality. This includes persons over 66 receiving retirement pension from the United Kingdom. Persons receiving invalidity pension for an unbroken period of one year from the United Kingdom also qualify for free travel.
Similarly persons aged 66 or over permanently resident here who receive retirement pension from the United Kingdom and who satisfy the conditions of the scheme can qualify for a free electricity allowance. The question of extending the scheme to cover persons permanently resident here who are receiving invalidity pension from the United Kingdom would have financial implications and is not planned at present.
111.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will be made in relation to an application for an invalidity pension by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The person concerned appears to satisfy the medical and contribution conditions for invalidity pension. It will be necessary for him to formally apply for pension and a claim form has now been forwarded to him.
112.
asked the Miniister for Social Welfare in view of the fact that Fianna Fáil, in their election manifesto, promised to review the rules regarding admission to old age contributory pension, if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 will be considered for an old age contributory pension as he paid full social welfare contributions from September 1931 to April 1942, and his wife paid contributions up to 1953.
One of the conditions for entitlement to old age contributory pension requires a person to have a yearly average of at least 20 reckonable contributions from 1953 or from the year of entry into insurance, whichever is the later, up to the end of the last contribution year before reaching old age pension age.
The person concerned does not qualify for the pension because the Department's records show that he had a yearly average of only three reckonable contributions in the relevant period which, in his case, is from 5 January 1953 to 5 April 1981. His only reckonable contributions over that period were 52 Class AI in each of the two contribution years ended 5 April 1980 and 1981. His wife had no contributions after 1953.
There are no plans to change the qualifying conditions for entitlement to pension in such a way as to enable persons with this yearly contribution average to qualify for pension.
113.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the numbers in each health board area who are at present in receipt of a supplementary welfare allowance, and the corresponding numbers on the same date last year.
The supplementary welfare scheme is administered by the health boards under the general direction and control of my Department. The health boards furnish the Department with returns on a monthly basis related to expenditure but which do not include statistics in relation to the numbers of claims received or payments made. These statistics are provided at irregular intervals as early as each board can arrange it. The following table gives the latest returns available from each board and the corresponding numbers of payments for the last week of March in 1985 and 1986, the last year for which complete returns are available. The numbers include persons receiving weekly payments as their sole source of income and persons receiving supplementary welfare allowances as supplements to other income or by way of payments to meet once-off exceptional needs.
|
Health Board |
End of March 1985 |
End of March 1986 |
Latest Available Figures |
|
Western |
1,851 |
1,791 |
1,888(December 1986) |
|
North Western |
1,011 |
1,061 |
1,183(March 1987) |
|
Mid Western |
1,279 |
1,260 |
1,288(June 1987) |
|
North Eastern |
1,416 |
1,343 |
1,267(March 1987) |
|
Eastern |
10,562 |
11,459 |
10,917(June 1986) |
|
South Eastern |
2,524 |
2,406 |
2,389(September 1986) |
|
Southern |
2,414 |
2,555 |
2,555(March 1986) |
|
Midland |
711 |
769 |
808(March 1987) |
115.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will clarify the situation in relation to the disallowance of further payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 who claims that she has the necessary contributions, taking contributions made in England into account; and the reason it can take his Department up to three months to get replies from the DHSS in relation to queries, whereas inquiries made by individuals can be dealt with in three weeks.
Where a person has less than 208 contributions paid since entry into insurable employment, entitlement to disability benefit is limited to 52 weeks.
According to the records of the Department the person concerned had only 146 contributions paid on her behalf since entry into insurance. She was paid disability benefit from August 1986 to August 1987 when her 52 week entitlement became exhausted.
The person concerned had worked in Britain and inquiries were made with the Department of Health and Social Security there regarding her British contributions. The Department of Health and Social Security have stated that she has only 42 reckonable contributions on giving her a total of 188 contributions on a combination of her Irish and British insurance records.
In order to requalify for disability benefit, it will be necessary for her to have at least a further 13 weeks of insurable employment for which the appropriate contributions are paid.
The document from the Department of Health and Social Security referred to by the Deputy in the details furnished with this question was received in the Department. Further clarification has been sought from the Department of Health and Social Security regarding the total of her reckonable contributions paid in Britain. Her claim will be reviewed when this information is received.
In cases where a person has been employed in the United Kingdom it can sometimes take two months to obtain information from that country, particularly where a person has not worked in that country for a number of years.
116.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for regular weekly payment of disability benefit to be made to a person (details supplied in County Galway.
The applicant recently notified the Department that she did not receive payment for the periods from 18 December 1986 to 24 December 1986, 2 April 1987 to 7 April 1987, and 8 April 1987 to 28 April 1987. However, as a result of investigations it has been determined that benefit cheques were issued to her and were cashed with a signature which is similar to that of the person concerned.
In these circumstances, replacement cheques cannot be issued but if the person concerned so requests, an inspector of the Department will visit her with the signed cheques so that she may inspect them herself.
All disability benefit payable to 4 November 1987, the date of the latest medical evidence, has been issued to the person concerned. Her title to benefit will expire when she has completed 12 months entitlement on 17 December 1987 as she has not paid sufficient social insurance contributions to qualify for benefit beyond a year.
117.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will issue in the disability benefit appeal case of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit to 7 March 1987 after which date payment was disallowed following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed against the disallowance of benefit and was examined by a different medical referee on 29 April 1987 who also expressed the opinion that she was capable of work.
Her appeal has been referred to an appeals officer who held an oral hearing of her claim on 12 August 1987. The appeals officer has raised a number of questions regarding the medical aspects of the case which required reference to the Department's medical adviser. The case has now been referred to the appeals officer for further consideration.
118.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the continuing delay in payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Louth; and when payment will be made.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 20 July 1987 and is currently being paid at the weekly rate of £57.05, the maximum rate appropriate to a married woman with three children.
The records of the Department show that payment appears to have been issued promptly on receipt of medical certificates. However, the certificates do not appear to have been furnished to the Department regularly and on time by the person concerned. All benefit payable has been issued to date.
120.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Clare has not received payment of a full disability benefit as his records show that he was not paid for the final week.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 19 January 1987 and payment was authorised from 22 January 1987, fourth day of incapacity. All payment due to 19 May 1987, the day before the claimant was certified fit to resume work, appears to have been issued to him.
121.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a disability benefit appeal will be held in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit to 17 January 1987 after which date payment was disallowed following an examination by a medical referee who considered him to be capable of work.
He appealed against this decision and was examined by another medical referee on 2 April 1987 who also expressed the opinion that he was capable of work.
The case was referred to an appeals officer who decided that the claimant was not incapable of work during the period from 19 January 1987 to 1 June 1987 and is not entitled to be paid disability benefit in respect of that period.
The claimant appealed against the disallowance of disability benefits subsequent to 1 June 1987. He was examined by a medical referee on 28 October 1987 and was again considered to be capable of work.
He was advised of the position and issued with a form on which to set out the grounds for appeal if he wished his case to be submitted to an appeals officer. The form was issued on 2 November 1987. The case will be reviewed when the form is returned.