asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state why the appeal in respect of the old age pension claim of Mrs. Bridget Ryan, Sixmilebridge, made in March, 1942, is still neither decided nor investigated.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Clare Old Age Pension Claims.
asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state why the appeals in respect of the old age pension claims of Mrs. Walsh and her husband, Mr. Walsh, Bealcraggy, Kilmaley, Ennis, County Clare, as far back as December, 1942, are still neither decided nor investigated.
I propose to take questions Nos. 31 and 32 together. In both cases the evidence before my Department would indicate that none of the applicants would be entitled to receive the old age pension. In the case of Patrick, Walsh, his claim to a pension was rejected on three previous occasions. Decisions on the appeals were held over pending arrangements for local investigation which was requested. An inspector has visited the cases this week.
Is the Minister aware that I was informed on several occasions, periods of three or four months elapsing between each occasion, that these cases were to be investigated by an officer from the Minister's Department? Is he further aware that one of the applicants died some ten months after the appeal was made? Is that the manner in which people are going to be treated in relation to their applications for old age pensions? Perhaps the Minister will indicate how he knows, when an investigation is being made only this week, that these people are not entitled to pensions? Has the report following the investigation already reached him? Surely something should have been done sooner in respect of these appeals, which were made 12 or 18 months ago?
I think the Deputy misunderstands me. I have stated, with regard to the case of Patrick Walsh, that his application was considered on three previous occasions and rejected and the information indicated that, whether there was an investigation or not, this man was not likely to receive a pension.
But I was informed on several occasions that the Department was going to make investigations on the spot, in the case of Patrick Walsh and Mrs. Walsh and also in the case of Mrs. Ryan. Patrick Walsh died some ten months after making his appeal against the decision of the pensions officer.
Whether an investigation was made or not, Walsh would not have got a pension. As to the point that the Department indicated that the matter was one to be investigated, I presume a request was addressed to the Department asking for a local investigation and the Department declared that a local investigation would be made in due course. The fact of the matter is that in the case of Patrick Walsh the application was reported on immediately after the inspector had investigated a number of cases in Clare and we could not send him back again to Clare for the purpose of investigating this particular claim, which had been rejected on three previous occasions.
Am I to take it that, where applicants appeal against the decision of the pensions officer, an investigation will not be made for some ten or 12 months?
That is not the case.
There was no attempt made to investigate these cases since March and December, 1942.
The Minister stated on another occasion, that there was no abnormal delay in the investigation of these pension claims, but he now admits that there was abnormal delay in certain cases. In view of the fact that there are investigation officers employed in connection with the operation of the Widows' and Orphans' Pensions Act, will the Minister arrange that these officers will carry out at the same time investigations into old age pensions cases, so as to expedite matters? I suggest that investigation of these claims is extremely sluggish in the Department for which the Minister is responsible.
I think the Deputy is under a misapprehension. What we are considering here is not an investigation on the spot for the purpose of considering a claim when it is made to the local committee. What we are dealing with is a special investigation by an inspector sent down from Dublin. One of these cases came in immediately after such an inspection was made.
Everybody knows what the procedure is except, apparently, the Minister himself.
The Department was asked to carry out a special investigation to which the applicant was definitely entitled and that investigation should have been carried out months ago. Why were so many months allowed to elapse?
We have to take into account the claims of applicants in other counties.
The Department should have a more efficient system of investigating these appeals. As it is, there seems to be only one inspector for the Twenty-Six Counties, and that is a scandal.