asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether regulations have been issued under which persons who have lodged appeals against the assessment of their means under the Unemployment Assistance Act are denied an opportunity of signing the vacant book pending the determination of their appeals, and whether, if no such regulations were issued, he is prepared to instruct officials of his Department that such claimants are entitled to prove by their signatures that they were continuously unemployed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Appeals under Unemployment Assistance Act.
Applicants for unemployment assistance may prove that they are unemployed by attending at local offices of my Department and signing there the prescribed form, or by sending the prescribed form through the post if they reside over six miles from a local office of my Department. The officials of my Department are instructed accordingly. In cases in which, by reason of their inability to fulfil the statutory conditions for receiving unemployment assistance, or for any other reason, it is clear that unemployment assistance cannot be paid on the applications their position under the Act is explained to the applicants with the object of saving them fruitless journeys to prove unemployment. If, notwithstanding the explanations, the applicants still desire to prove in the prescribed manner that they are unemployed, the officials of my Department have instructions to permit them to do so.
Might I ask the Minister whether in the case of a person who has received the qualification certificate showing that he has means in excess of 2/- a week, and there is an appeal for a modification of the qualification certificate in respect of his means, as a result of which modification takes place, it is possible for the arrears of benefit to be paid to the applicant under such circumstances?
Where a person is entitled to receive a rate of assistance calculated in accordance with his certificate as and from the date he proves himself qualified to receive it, any modification as a result of his appeal does not entitle him to receive retrospectively the payments which he might have received if the certificate for the larger payments had been got in the first instance.
Might I ask if that qualification certificate is durable so long as it is unrevised?
Yes.