Vol. 406 No. 2
62 Mr. O'Leary asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a free fuel allowance will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry who applied for same three months ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
There is no trace of an application for this allowance having been received in my Department from the person concerned.
63 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a free travel pass has been refused to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned applied for free travel on 25 January 1991 on the basis that she was in receipt of an invalidity pension. As my Department had no record of the person being in receipt of such a pension, the application was rejected on 18 February 1991.
On receipt of the parliamentary question, I had further special inquiries made. These inquiries have revealed that the person concerned was awarded a disabled person's maintenance allowance by her local health board in January 1991. A free travel pass has now been awarded and will issue shortly.
64 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason arrears of the new carer's allowance have not yet been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
A number of new pension schemes were inaugurated in 1990. As new cases were received the emphasis was on getting ongoing payments into operation as quickly as possible. Where persons transferred from other social welfare schemes, additional inquiries had to be made to calculate adjustments due. In the case in question, the small adjustment due was not given priority and was temporarily overlooked. The delay is regretted.
An arrears cheque for £129.50, in respect of the period from 1 November 1990 to 19 December 1990 inclusive, will issue to the person concerned within seven days.
65 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason an application by a person (details supplied) in County Cork for unemployment assistance has not yet been finalised and approved for payment; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the applicant has continually been requested to supply documents already furnished and claims that she is being harassed.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 22 January 1991 after exhausting her entitlement to unemployment benefit and the social welfare officer was asked to investigate her means.
These inquiries were completed and a deciding officer disallowed her claim on the grounds that she had failed to show that her yearly means did not exceed the statutory limit for receipt of a qualification certificate. This certificate would specify her means for unemployment assistance purposes. In particular, she failed to provide the social welfare officer with details of bank transactions from 1 January 1989 to date.
It is open to her to appeal against this decision to the social welfare appeals office.
