Vol. 405 No. 3
214 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social Welfare if any estimate has been made of the amount of social welfare payments which would have been necessary if those who emigrated in the past ten years had remained at home and received unemployment assistance.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available.
215 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will confirm that although there is a special child benefit for multiple births of double the normal rate, his Department do not consider twins to be multiple births; and the reason twins are not considered multiple births, and therefore are also exempt from the grant available for multiple births.
Under existing legislation double payments of child benefit are made in respect of the birth of three or more children. A once-off grant of £300 is also paid in these cases. These arrangements are in acknowledgement of the special nature of these births and the additional costs associated with them.
There have been significant increases in child benefit in recent years for large families. The higher rate of child benefit which was payable in respect of the sixth and subsequent children in families will from next October be paid in respect of the fourth and subsequent children.
216 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a free electricity allowance will be restored to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim; and the reason for the delay in the restoration of same.
The free electricity allowance has now been restored to the person concerned by my Department. The ESB have been requested to credit the allowance with effect from the November-December 1990 billing period.
The delay in processing the claim arose as the social welfare officer was unable to finalise her investigations concerning the composition of the household.
217 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare the current position regarding the unemployment benefit appeal of a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
The claim by the person concerned was disallowed by a deciding officer from 23 October 1990 on the ground that she was not available for and not genuinely seeking work. She appealed against the deciding officer's decision. Her appeal was allowed and all arrears due have been paid to her in the last week in January 1991.
218 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant a free electricity allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
In order to qualify for a free electricity allowance a person must be in receipt of a specified qualifying payment and must reside entirely alone or only with persons who come within certain excepted categories.
The person concerned applied for the allowance on three occasions — in January 1989, September 1989 and April 1990. These applications had to be rejected on the grounds that his son, who was then resident with him, is not in one of the excepted categories of people specified in the scheme conditions. The Department have no record of a recent application from him.
However, if the son's residency situation has changed and if the other conditions of the scheme are now fulfilled, the person concerned should re-apply for the allowance immediately. An application form has been issued to him.
219 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant a free telephone rental allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
In order to qualify for a free telephone rental allowance, the applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and must be residing either entirely alone or only with dependent children under 15 years of age and/or other persons who are so permanently incapacitated that they could not get help in the event of an emergency.
The person who made the application is not in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department. However, as her husband is in recept of retirement pension, the application was processed as if it had been made by him. Accordingly, the determining issue in this case was considered to be the health of the wife, i.e., the person concerned referred to in the question.
From the medical evidence supplied in this case, the Department's medical advisor is satisfied that she is not permanently incapacitated. In these circumstances, the application had to be refused.
If her husband is permanently incapacitated, it may be possible to award the allowance on that basis. A claim form and explanatory leaflet is being issued to him.
220 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will pay a carer's allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
The person concerned applied for carers allowance on the 6 February 1991. The application form was not completed; in particular it did not provide details of income from a farm holding. The case has been forwarded to a social welfare officer for investigation. When investigations are completed the case will be referred to a deciding officer for decision.
221 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange an increase in unemployment assistance for a person (details supplied) in County Carlow who has made an application for this increase.
The person concerned is in receipt of unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £27.90. His means were assessed at £24.10 in April 1988.
He applied for a review of his means and his case was referred to the social welfare officer for re-investigation of his circumstances. This investigation has been completed and the means estimate in his case has been reduced by £9.10 a week.
The revised assessment will result in an equivalent increase in the rate of payment, which will now be £37 per week and the rate payable will be further increased in July when the rates of payment generally will be increased. Any arrears due will be paid as quickly as possible.
222 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The person concerned is not entitled to disability benefit as she has only a total of 25 A1 contributions paid since she re-entered insurable employment.
The person concerned was not in insurable employment from 1950 to 1986. In the 1986-87 year three full rate contributions were paid on her behalf, while 22 full rate contributions were paid in the 1989-90 year.
In the circumstances she does not meet the contribution conditions as the social welfare legislation requires at least 39 Class A contributions for entitlement to disability benefit in the governing contribution year.
An increase on her husband's retirement pension is being paid in respect of the person concerned.
223 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a review of means will take place on a pre-retirement pension of a person (details supplied) in County Laois, with a view towards an increase in his rate of pension.
The person concerned is in receipt of a pre-retirement allowance of £28 per week.
As a result of a request for a review of means the case was referred to the social welfare officer for reinvestigation.
Investigations have now been finalised and the case is being referred to a deciding officer for consideration. While a formal decision has not been made, I understand that an increase will be granted as a result of the reduced means assessment which has resulted from the investigation. The person concerned will be notified of the outcome without delay.
224 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 7 January 1991. On the basis of his Irish contribution record in the governing contribution year, 6 April 1989 to 5 April 1990, he is not entitled to benefit. However, inquiries are being made with the UK authorities to determine whether he is entitled to have contributions awarded in the UK aggregated with his Irish record. In addition his request to sign the unemployed register retrospectively for the period June to November 1989 is being investigated. When these matters have been resolved his entitlement will be decided without delay.
225 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his Department will now pay a free fuel allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
In order to qualify for the free fuel allowance a person must satisfy certain conditions, one of which requires that a claimant's means other than his/her social welfare pension cannot exceed £5.00 per week.
As the person concerned is in receipt of a British retirement pension in excess of this amount, she is not entitled to free fuel allowance.
