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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 16 Dec 1970

Vol. 250 No. 8

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance.

42.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare why a person (name supplied), who has been granted an unemployment assistance allowance of 5/- a week, has not been granted full unemployment assistance for himself and his wife, although he has no means and lives with his wife and old age pensioner parents in a labourer's cottage.

The person named, who is self-employed, applied on 17th November, 1970 for a qualification certificate for unemployment assistance. Following investigation of his case his weekly means were assessed by a deciding officer at 115s which entitles him to unemployment assistance at a weekly rate of 5s. An appeal against that decision has just been received in my Department and is being referred to an appeals officer.

Would the Minister not agree that to award an unemployment assistance allowance of 5s per week to an unemployed labourer living with his wife and two old age pension parents in a labourer's cottage is an insult to the intelligence of the person to whom it is being given?

The investigating officer had to award in accordance with the statement received from the applicant who said he was a painter by occupation, that his amings were occasionally £12 a week and he agreed to an average of £7 a week. This award was based on that. This is my information.

Will the Minister not agree that this is another case of where the income of a person up to some weeks before he made the application is considered as a continuing income? The man says that he can get no further work at the job he was doing and therefore he has no income at all. Would the Minister ask for an early hearing of the appeal so that this man can have something to eat at Christmas?

It is being dealt with expeditiously.

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