Donal Carey
Question:155 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Social Welfare the benefits which can accrue to unemployed people who sign for credits under current legislation.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Credited PRSI contributions serve to protect a person's entitlement to social insurance benefits and pensions. They are used in conjunction with paid PRSI contributions in determining an applicant's entitlement.
The benefits protected are those in respect of which the person had been insured when last in insurable employment which varies with the class or rate of PRSI contribution paid. For example, for persons who had been insured at Class A rates, credited contributions are taken into account in determining entitlements to both long term and short term Social Welfare payments such as: Invalidity Pension; Retirement Pension; Old Age Contributory Pension; Deserted Wife's Benefit; Widow's and Orphan's Pensions; Unemployment Benefit; Disability Benefit; Maternity Benefit and Treatment Benefits.
Similarly for those who had been in public sector employments and insured at Class B, the credits would normally reckon only towards Widow's and Orphan's Pension and related benefits.
John Ellis
Question:157 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim who has a full complement of credits and paid contributions for the past number of years.
The social welfare legislation provides that a person who has paid less than 260 PRSI contributions since he or she first entered insurance is entitled to payment of disability benefit for a maximum period of 52 weeks. To requalify for payment of disability benefit, a person requires a further 13 paid PRSI contributions or such lesser number as would bring to 260 the total number of PRSI contributions paid.
The person concerned has a total of 249 contributions paid since she first entered insurance. She made a claim to disability benefit on 22 September 1992. However she had previously received payment of disability benefit for 52 weeks during the periods from 17 January 1990 to 21 June 1990 and from 28 September 1990 to 30 April 1991. The deciding officer therefore disallowed her claim on the grounds that she had already received payment of disability benefit for the maximum period to which she was entitled and had not since requalified. She was notified of this decision at the time.
To requalify for further payment of disability benefit it would be necessary for the person concerned to be insurably employed for at least a further 11 weeks.
She is currently in receipt of unemployment assistance.
John Ellis
Question:158 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant the maximum rate of unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
The person concerned was awarded unemployment assistance in 1982 with means assessed from benefit and privilege of board and lodgings on his parents' holding. On 18 September 1991 his case was reviewed and he was assessed with weekly means of £58.70 being the net yearly value of the holding. He is now in beneficial occupation of the holding, where he was residing with his mother.
He changed address and his case was reviewed again. His weekly means were reduced by a deciding officer to £54, with effect from 18 September, 1991, being the net yearly value of the holding less £240 which had been assessed against his mother for widows non-contributory pension purposes.
He appealed this decision and an appeals officer upheld the deciding officer's decision.
He made a further application for unemployment assistance on 11 August 1992. The deciding officer assessed the weekly means as before, at £54. He has not appealed this decision.
The person concerned commenced a social employment scheme with the local vocational education committee on 1 February 1993.