asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive full unemployment assistance.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.
78.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 16 May 1989. Following investigation he was assessed with weekly means of £45.90 derived from the net yearly value of his holding and from capital. As this assessment exceeds the maximum weekly rate payable in his case, he was not entitled to payment of unemployment assistance from that date.
He appealed against the means assessed against him on 30 August 1989 and his case has been referred to the Social Welfare Officer for further inquiries in connection with his appeal. These inquiries are being completed and his case will be referred to an appeals office for determination and he will be informed of the outcome as soon as possible.
79.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will issue a free electricity allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
To qualify for a free electricity allowance, a person in receipt of a qualifying payment must reside entirely alone or only with persons who come within certain excepted categories.
The allowance was withdrawn from the person concerned as his son, with whom he resided, was in receipt of unemployment assistance and did not, therefore, come within the categories whose residence is accepted for the purposes of the "living alone" condition.
Should the person's circumstances have changed, he should now re-apply for the allowance. An application form and explanatory leaflet have been issued to him for this purpose.
80.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a blind pension.
The person concerned is currently in receipt of a blind pension at the rate of £15.10 per week which includes an adult dependant allowance of £5.10 per week. This is the rate of pension appropriate to a person with means of £44.35 per week. A pension book has issued to her local post office payable from 20 October 1989.
Arrears of pension covering the period 19 May 1989 to 13 October 1989 are in the course of issue to the person concerned.
81.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when he intends issuing a full old age pension to persons (details supplied) in County Clare.
The persons concerned were awarded pension from 19 January 1983 at a rate appropriate to weekly means of £19.81 per week. Means are assessed on the basis of investments.
At the request of the pensioners who contended that they had disposed of certain capital, means were reassessed in July 1989. Following reinvestigation revised means of £20.43 per week were assessed. A satisfactory explanation has not been provided as to why the capital was disposed of.
Under the terms of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 1981, a person may not deprive himself of pay, income or property in order to qualify for old age non-contributory pension. If it appears that a person has deprived himself of income or property in order to qualify for pension, the yearly value of that means or property is still taken to be part of the means of that person for the purposes of determining entitlement to old age non-contributory pension.
The files of the persons concerned have been forwarded to the social welfare officer for further investigation. Once the investigations are complete, they will be informed of the outcome.
82.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a free electricity allowance.
In order to qualify for a free electricity allowance, a person in receipt of a qualifying payment must reside entirely alone or only with persons who come within certain excepted categories.
The allowance was withdrawn from the person concerned as his son, with whom he resided, did not come within the categories whose residence is accepted for the purposes of the "living alone" condition.
Should the person's circumstances have changed, he should now re-apply for the allowance. An application form and explanatory leaflet have been issued to him for this purpose.
83.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant a full old age pension to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
The person concerned applied for the old age non-contributory pension on 12 April 1988 and, on 3 June 1988, a deciding officer decided that he was not entitled to pension as his means, derived from the income from a holding and capital, exceeded the statutory limit.
The person concerned reapplied for pension on 20 July 1988 on the grounds that the holding had been transferred to his nephew. It was decided on 22 August 1988, after reinvestigation, that the person concerned was not entitled to pension as he was considered still to be in beneficial occupation of the holding and there was no change in the assessment of his means.
The person concerned appealed this decision on 17 October 1989 and his case is currently being prepared for consideration by an appeals officer. The pensioner will be notified of the appeals officer's decision without delay.
84.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a full old age pension.
The person concerned is in receipt of an old age non-contributory pension at the weekly personal rate of £20.00 plus living alone allowance of £3.90. This is the rate of pension appropriate to a person with weekly means of £35.10 derived from capital and holding.
His case has been referred to the local social welfare officer for investigation and on completion of the necessary inquiries, a decision will be given as to his entitlement as quickly as possible.
85.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange immediate issue of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a claimant must have at least 39 contributions paid at a class which provides cover for unemployment benefit since date of entry into insurable employment.
According to the Department's records, the person concerned did not satisfy this contribution condition. He was employed under a Department of Labour scheme known as the social employment scheme from 26 May 1986 to 22 May 1987 and again from 17 October 1988 to 13 October 1989. This employment was insurable at class J rate which does not provide cover for unemployment benefit.
The person concerned claimed unemployed assistance from 16 October 1989. His claim has been allowed from the date of claim at the appropriate weekly rate of £29.70, i.e. the maximum weekly rate of £47.00 less means of £17.30 derived from the yearly value of his holding which have been assessed against him. Payment will issue to him this week. Further weekly payments will be made as they become due.
86.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when he will issue a full old age pension to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
The person concerned is currently in receipt of pension at the weekly rate of £27.90 which includes £3.90 living alone allowance. He is entitled to this rate of pension having regard to his means which were assessed as £30.91 per week.
In July 1989, following an application for an increase in his pension, a deciding officer decided that his means had not changed since the last investigation by the social welfare officer and he was, therefore, not entitled to an increase.
His case has been referred to an appeals officer for determination and is being listed for oral hearing. He will be notified of the date of this hearing as soon as possible.
87.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when he intends issuing a person (details supplied) in County Clare with a free telephone rental allowance.
There is no record in my Department of the receipt of an application for free telephone rental allowance from the person concerned.
An application form for the allowance was issued to him on 24 October 1989. On receipt of the completed application form, a decision will be given and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome without delay.
88.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a free telephone rental allowance will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
An application for free telephone rental allowance was received from the person concerned on 3 July 1985, and the application was approved from that date. The allowance was terminated in August 1988 following a change of address.
The person concerned reapplied for the allowance in March 1989 and Telecom Éireann have confirmed that the allowance is currently in payment at the new address. A credit covering the period from August 1988 to March 1989 will be applied to her next telephone bill.
89.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a free fuel allowance will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
One of the conditions for receipt of free fuel allowance is that the claimant must be unable to provide for his own heating needs.
It was decided by a deciding officer on 20 October 1988 that the person concerned is not entitled to free fuel allowance as he has transferred his holding to his son while maintaining the right of residence and maintenance.
No application for free fuel allowance has been received in respect of him for the heating period from October 1989 to April 1990. If his circumstances have changed, he may reapply for the allowance by completing an application form and forwarding it to my Department.
90.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will issue a free fuel allowance to persons (details supplied) in County Clare.
The persons concerned are a married couple. The husband is in receipt of a disabled person's maintenance allowance from the Mid-Western Health Board.
Payment of fuel allowance to disabled person's maintenance allowance recipients is made by the health board. The board have informed me that a fuel allowance has been awarded in this case. The board pay the allowance in two instalments and the first instalment will be paid next month.
91.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment benefit has been disallowed in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Entitlement to unemployment assistance is subject to the condition that an applicant must be available for and genuinely seeking work.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 10 July 1989. Her claim was disallowed on the grounds that she was not considered to be genuinely seeking work. She appealed against the disallowance and was afforded an oral appeal hearing on 2 October to present her case. The appeals officer also decided that she was not genuinely seeking work.
She continued to sign the unemployed register after the date of the appeals officer's decision and inquiries are being made at present to establish whether she now fulfils the condition of genuinely seeking work. When these inquiries are completed, her entitlement to unemployment assistance from 3 October 1989 will be determined.
92.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason the brother of a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim is being assessed against him for unemployment assistance purposes in view of the fact that his means position was clarified some years ago by an appeals officer.
The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £102.00 with means of £15.00 derived from the value of board and lodgings on his brother's farm assesed against him.
Following a review of his means a deciding officer disallowed his claim from 20 September 1989 on the grounds that by failing to disclose full details of his means he failed to show that his yearly means did not exceed the statutory limit for receipt of a qualification certificate.
He appealed against the decision. His case was referred to the social welfare officer to give him a further opportunity to give details of his means but he failed to do so. The case will now be referred to an appeals officer for decision.
93.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason payment of unemployment assistance has been discontinued in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Waterford; and if he will have payment restored at the full rate.
Following investigation, the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed from 27 September 1988, on the grounds that he failed to satisfy the deciding officer that his means did not exceed the statutory limit for entitlement to a qualification certificate.
He appealed against the disallowance on 28 September 1989 and arising from issues raised by him in connection with his appeal further inquiries by the social welfare officer are necessary.
These inquiries will be completed as soon as possible and his case will then be referred to an appeals officer for determination at the earliest available opportunity.