Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 1 Apr 1992

Vol. 418 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

John O'Leary

Question:

176 Mr. O'Leary asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will have arrangements made to approve the dental benefit claim lodged some time ago by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry in view of the fact that his Department failed to continue to post out claim forms to her to enable her to continue to sign for credits during the period 6 April 1987 to 9 March 1992 which gave her the impression that credits were assigned to her over this period; if he will direct that the credits over this period be assigned to her and her application for dental benefit granted; and if he will outline the reason his Department failed to continue to send the credit forms to this person to enable her to sign on on a regular weekly basis.

Minister for Social Welfare (Mr. McCreevy)

In order to qualify for dental benefit a person must have, inter alia, 39 contributions paid or credited in the contribution year governing a claim. The person concerned does not have sufficient contributions in her own right to qualify for this benefit; however, she is entitled to dental benefit as a dependent spouse on her husband's insurance record and a notification is being sent to her.

The person concerned became unemployed in 1986 and subsequently exhausted her entitlement to unemployment benefit on 1 June 1987 and continued to sign for credited contributions up to 19 September 1989. A signing docket was sent to her in the usual way for completion in respect of the week ended 26 September 1989. When she failed to return this docket no further dockets were issued to her as is the usual practice. In September 1991 she was in touch with the Department's office in Tralee and asked to be allowed sign the unemployed register retrospectively for the previous two years. Permission to sign retrospectively was not granted on the grounds that, (a) she indicated that she had not made any efforts to look for work in the period in question and (b) she did not contact the Department at any time in that two year period to have her position clarified. It is a condition for the award of credits that a person be unemployed, available for work and genuinely seeking work. The person concerned is currently signing for credited contributions which will continue to be awarded provided she fulfils the necessary conditions.