asked the Minister for Social Welfare why Mr. Richard Fitzsimons, Peterstown, Trim, County Meath, who has a wife and eleven children to support, has been refused social welfare benefit although he has the requisite number of stamps to qualify for benefit.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Meath Social Welfare Benefit Applicant.
28.
Mr. Fitzsimons made a claim to unemployment benefit on the 4th November, 1963, which was disallowed on the ground that he was not unemployed. Apart from his insurable employment Mr. Fitzsimons is a farmer. Statutory regulations provide that where a person has another occupation, as in this case, from which the remuneration or profit is more than 6/8d. a day or its equivalent, he cannot be regarded as unemployed. The enquiries made in Mr. Fitzsimons' case showed that the profit from his farm supstantially exceeded this statutory maximum. He appealed against the decision disallowing his claim to unemployment benefit and, following an oral hearing, an Appeals Officer, whose decision is final, upheld the disallowance.
Is the Minister not aware that this man, having a family of 11 children, was forced to travel to Dublin, a distance of almost 40 miles, each day to work as a builder's labourer in order to maintain his family, and that when he found he was unable to continue because there was no transport available to him, he signed at the labour exchange? Will the Minister explain why, although this man had the requisite stamps, the Department refused to pay him compensation when he was unemployed? Is the Minister further aware that this man has again become employed and is stamping his cards and would the Minister say why——
I have explained that the man was not unemployed. He was also a fairly substantial farmer and it is obvious there is a need to safeguard the Social Insurance Fund in such cases.
Will the Minister make arrangements that men in this category will not have to stamp insurance cards if they cannot get any benefit from it? Surely the Minister will agree it is unfair they should be asked to stamp cards at the same rate as anybody else?
That may seem somewhat unfair but if the Department were to do that, there would be an inducement to an employer to employ farmers rather than people who have no other occupation.
Does the Minister think it reasonable that a figure of 6/8d. per day should be laid down as being adequate to maintain a man, his wife and 11 children, in 1964?
It may be there is a case for raising the figure from 6/8d. though there are obvious objections to it. That is being examined but it is not within the bounds of possibility that the figure will be raised to such an extent as to bring this case inside its scope.
It must have been the gross income that was taken into consideration, certainly not the net income.
Profit.