Gay Mitchell
Question:22 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people cut off from social welfare payments in the first half of 1999 and subsequently had their payments restored. [1872/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.
The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available across all the various schemes due to the variety of circumstances, complexity of situations and volumes of claims involved.
In the main, decisions in regard to social welfare claims are given by deciding officers from whose decisions there is a right of appeal to an independent appeals officer. In the course of processing appeals new information can come to light which results in a revised decision by the deciding officer in favour of the claimant. During the first six months of 1999 there were 1,774 such revisions in the case of the illness and unemployment schemes.
In regard to cases that fell to be determined by an appeals officer, some 1,265 appeals in the illness and unemployment categories were, during the period in question, allowed fully in favour of the appellants. A further 418 were allowed in part.
In some instances the revised and appeals decisions related to new claims and so did not involve a cutting off and subsequent restoration of payment. However, many of the aforementioned cases resulted in restoration of payment where it had been completely discontinued. The remainder would have involved payment of a higher rate of benefit or allowance than allowed in the original deciding officer's decision where the question at issue was one of the level of assessment of means.
In the general administration of schemes situations may arise where payment is temporarily interrupted as a result of a failure by the claimant to comply with the terms and conditions of the scheme. Payment is invariably restored at the earliest possible moment once the necessary checks or investigations are satisfactorily completed.
In all cases where a person is not entitled to a social welfare payment he or she may apply for supplementary welfare allowance if his or her means are not sufficient to meet their needs or those of their dependants.
If the Deputy has a particular situation or circumstance in mind where difficulties arose I would be happy to have the matter investigated.