asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is satisfied with the decision of the appeals officer in upholding the decision to refuse unemployment benefit to a claimant (name supplied) in Enniskerry, County Wicklow.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Benefit Claimants.
30.
The appeals officers of my Department are statutory officers appointed to exercise on their own responsibility certain statutory functions in relation to claims to benefit and various other matters arising for determination under social welfare legislation. It would therefore not be desirable, or indeed proper, for me to express my satisfaction or otherwise with their decisions or with any particular decision.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary have in his file the reason this person was refused unemployment benefit?
Yes. It states that the deciding officer and the appeals officer decided that she was not available for work as she had a child and no provision for the minding of this child had been made.
That would seem to be at variance with the information I have and contained in letters written to the Department, I believe, to the effect that there was somebody available and willing to look after this child.
This is the information I have. If the Deputy feels there is any contradiction in it I shall be only too glad to look into it further.
Is it not part of your policy to prevent married women getting unemployment benefit? Is that not the simple answer?
No. I would not agree.
How many of them do?
I could not tell the Deputy offhand.
Do I take it that the Parliamentary Secretary would be willing to receive further information in the Department?
Very definitely.
I accept that.
31.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why unemployment benefit will not be paid to a claimant (name supplied) in Bray, County Wicklow.
The person's claim to unemployment benefit from 24th July to 23rd October, 1974, was disallowed by a deciding officer under the provisions of section 15 (3) (a) (ii) of the Social Welfare Act, 1952, on the ground that the claimant was not available for employment. An appeals officer upheld the disallowance following an oral hearing on 31st October, 1974, at which the claimant and her husband attended and gave evidence.
Has this woman not got a letter from her employer stating that work was not available?
I am not so aware. I do not doubt that she may have produced such a letter to the deciding officer or appeals officer but, as I explained in reply to a supplementary question from Deputy Cunningham, I have no jurisdiction over these officers.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary accept further information in that case as in the previous case?
Yes, although I think I should tell the Deputy that the fact that an individual employer states that no employment is available for her would not necessarily mean that she was available for employment.
May I ask a general question? Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the employment situation in Bray and the vicinity——
The Deputy is getting into another area. This is a separate matter.
It is connected with the availability of work.
It is a separate matter.
The decision is not concerned with the availability of work but with the availability of the person seeking work.