asked the Minister for Social Welfare why disability benefit is not being paid to an insured person (name supplied) who is incapacitated from work by chronic heart disease as certified by his doctor.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Disability Benefit.
124.
The person named by the Deputy has been doing work on his farm. Accordingly, although he is suffering from a heart complaint, he is precluded by statutory regulations from receiving disability benefit.
My information is that this man, a labouring man, was declared by his physician to be unfit for labour. When he got home to his own home, where his son works the farm and his wife keeps the house, he recalls telling his son to milk the cows and dig the potatoes. He cannot do the physicial work from which he normally earns his living. Surely such person who in the normal course of events would be engaged in physical labour ought to be entitled to disability benefit? He was certified as being incapable of physical labour.
This case has been subject to appeals on one or two occasions, I understand. This was the decision arrived at after full investigation. The man in question has a reasonably good holding and would appear to be operating it.
I am not denying that the man was unable to earn weekly wages. I am not denying that he is able to get up in the morning and walk about the kitchen. I think the Minister will not deny that the referee and the man's own physician will not say that he is capable of physical work. The man has been stamping a card as a labourer for a year and he is now deprived of his opportunity of supplementing his income on his small farm in County Monaghan. Is he not entitled to disability benefit in respect of his stamps for such period as he is incapable of doing the kind of physical work he would ordinarily do? If he gave up work and said he would work no more, he should not get any benefit.
This man wants to work but the doctor will not let him, neither his own doctor nor the medical referee. I would ask the Minister to give me an answer on that. We agree on the facts. There is no argument about that. The man who has been stamping cards as a labourer ought to get disability benefit if he is unfit for labour.
There are other qualifications. He must be unemployed.
Did the Minister ever hear of occupational therapy?
Full-time work on a farm is a new type of therapy.
It is agreed that the man is prohibited from doing physical work. No one says he is doing physical work. He has to look after the labour on the farm.
The Minister stated he is working on the farm.
My information is that he owns a 40-acre farm with 22 head of livestock and that he works this farm. There is no question of his son, as far as I am aware.
Will the Minister have a further look at it?
I will. I should point out that we permit light work. We are not savages in this matter but if the person is fully employed that is another question.