Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
416. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm having received the required information as sought from a person (details supplied) in order to have their eligibility for disability allowance fully reviewed and awarded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21658/24]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions.
I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 9 November 2023. As their initial application did not contain all the information required to determine their eligibility for DA, an information request letter was sent to the person concerned on 17 November 2023, to supply this supporting documentation. I can confirm that an initial response was received on 22 November 2023.
A further information request was sent on 31 January 2024, requesting further information in relation to transactions on the bank statement. Based on the information received, it was still not possible for the Deciding Officer (DO) to complete a means assessment of this application without additional information.
I can confirm that, on 5 March 2024, additional financial statements were submitted by the person concerned. As a result of details included in this submission, a further information request had to be issued to the person concerned on 11 March 2024, requesting them to supply details of specific transactions on their financial statements. The information request allowed the person,14 days to provide the required information in order to determine the eligibility for DA.
As the person concerned failed to supply the requested information, their means could not be determined, and the claim was disallowed on this basis. The person concerned was notified of the decision in writing on 8 April 2024 and advised of their entitlement to request a review and/or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO). They were also reminded about the outstanding documents required to determine their means.
I can confirm that, on 29 April 2024, additional information was submitted by the person concerned. The application was referred to a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) on 9 May 2024, for a report on the person’s means and circumstances. Once the SWI has submitted their report to the DA Section, a decision will be made on the DA application and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
