asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Meath will receive disability benefit; and the cause of delay in making payment.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
18.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 16 February 1981 and has been paid from 19 February, fourth day of incapacity, at the maximum appropriate rate. All disability benefit due to 11 May 1981 has issued. He is not entitled to pay-related benefit.
Delay in payment initially was due to the fact that he quoted his insurance number instead of his RSI number on the earlier medical certificates submitted in support of his claim.
19.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Meath.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 29 October 1980. She was not entitled to payment however as contributions were not paid by her employer in respect of her employment from 1975 to 1980.
Following inquiries it has been decided that her employment was insurable. Pending collection of the contributions from the employer, special credits have been awarded which enables payment of benefit to be made from 29 October 1980. Cheques paying all benefit due from that date have been issued.
The question of her entitlement to pay-related benefit is being investigated and any benefit due will issue as soon as possible.
20.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in Dublin.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 20 February 1981 and has been paid all disability benefit and pay-related benefit to 4 May 1981. The delay in payment of benefit was due to the fact that the RSI number on some medical certificates was misquoted by the claimant.
21.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in Dublin.
The person concerned was in receipt of disability benefit from 14 April 1980 to 7 October 1980. Payment was refused after that date following an examination by a medical referee of my Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed against the decision and in that connection she was again examined by a different medical referee who was also of the opinion that she was capable of work.
The claim was then referred to an appeals officer for determination and an oral hearing of the appeal was arranged for 11 February 1981. She did not, however, attend the hearing but her husband, who attended as her representative, informed the appeals officer that her medical condition was more complicated than the condition for which she was certified.
In the circumstances, the appeals officer deferred a decision on the claim pending the result of a further medical referee examination which was arranged for 4 May 1981. The medical referee who examined her on that date also considered her capable of work and the case has now been again referred to an appeals officer who intends holding an oral hearing of the appeal in the near future. She will be notified of the date, time and place of the hearing as soon as the necessary arrangements have been made.
22.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 23 March 1981 and has been paid from 26 March, fourth day of incapacity, at the maximum appropriate rate. Payment of all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due has been made to 2 May 1981. The delay in payment was due to an administrative error.
23.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The reason for the delay in payment of unemployment benefit to the person concerned is that inquiries had to be made to establish her contribution record before her entitlement could be decided. The inquiries were recently completed and all unemployment benefit due to her has been paid.
24.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 26 February 1981 and has been paid from 2 March 1981, fourth day of incapacity, to 6 May 1981 at the maximum appropriate rate. His entitlement to pay-related benefit is being investigated and payment due, if any, will issue on completion of inquiries.
The delay in payment of benefit was due to the fact that he quoted his old social insurance number only on some of his medical certificates submitted to my Department in connection with his claim.
25.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of pay-related benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 21 January 1981 and all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due from 24 January 1981 to 6 May 1981 has been issued.
Payment of pay-related benefit could not be made initially on the claim until details of his earnings in the relevant income tax year had been ascertained. This was done towards the end of March 1981 and all payments since that time have been issued on the due dates.
26.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in granting the free electricity allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
Despite an exhaustive search there is no trace in the records of my Department or in the ESB district office, Waterford, of an application for a free electricity allowance from the person concerned. I have now had an application form issued to her and have advised her as to what she should do before returning it to her local ESB office.
when the completed form has been returned to my Department her application will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Is the Minister aware that this woman definitely submitted an application last October when she reached old age pension age? The slip-up obviously occurred in the Minister's office and I should like to have the matter investigated. The woman is distraught. She has approached several Deputies.
When the Deputy brought it to my attention I had it investigated but there is no trace of the application in the Department or in the ESB district office. We have since forwarded the necessary form and given an indication of how to handle it. I hope that will be thrashed out.
27.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 26 January 1981 and has been paid from 29 January, fourth day of incapacity, at the maximum appropriate rate. All disability benefit, and pay-related benefit due, less, amount reimbursed to the health board of supplementary welfare allowance advanced, has been paid to 16 May 1981.
The delay in payment is due to the fact that he is quoting his insurance number instead of his RSI number on all medical certificates submitted in connection with his claim.
28.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 27 March 1981 and has been paid from 31 March 1981, fourth day of incapacity, at the maximum appropriate rate. All disability benefit and pay-related benefit due, less the amount reimbursed to the health board of supplementary welfare allowance advanced, has been paid to 2 May 1981.
The delay in payment was due mainly to the necessity to ascertain the amount of supplementary welfare allowance due for refund to the health board. When the amount advanced was established the balance of benefit due was paid.
I did not put down these questions lightly. I am a bit blue in the face from writing to the Department. Why has the situation not improved?
I am quite happy to go back here to what I said earlier during Question Time when we had a general discussion on the whole thing. The Deputy was not here at that time, but if the Ceann Comhairle agrees we will go back on it.
I am here now.
These questions relate mainly to several weeks ago, some before Easter. Basically the position has improved. The questions relate to matters which arose when persons were not quoting RSI numbers or for various other reasons. The only continuing problem now is difficulty in communication with the Department. This is related to a grade claim, an across the board civil service claim which is at present under discussion and which we hope to have sorted out. It has nothing whatever to do with the Department of Social Welfare but action in relation to the claim is being taken in the Department of Social Welfare.
Is the Minister aware that the volume of complaints from the public in regard to non-payments and underpayments is as great as ever, that it has not improved? I am getting the same volume of complaints. For instance, today I got a letter from a woman whose husband has been out of work since 31 January. He has five children and since 31 January he has been paid disability benefit at a single man's rate, £40.45 a week. How is that man expected to live? Why cannot cases like that be dealt with?
I have given the figures for payments being made weekly. The average figure for disability payments is 71,000 cases a week. Week in, week out, we have been paying about £73,000 for disability benefit payments. So the general level of payments is up to the normal level. I accept that there are outstanding problems and we are anxious to find those and have them sorted out. We have a communication difficulty which I have adverted to.
We cannot have a general discussion.
29.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of pay-related benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned is not entitled to pay-related benefit as her reckonable earnings during the relevant income tax year were below the statutory limit for pay-related benefit.
30.
asked the Minister for the Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 8 Janjary 1981 to 17 January 1981 and from 17 February 1981 to 2 March 1981, and all benefit due in respect of those periods has now been issued. The delay in payment was due to an administrative error.
Has the Minister got any way by which these queries can be answered when the Dáil is not in session? I find that these parliamentary questions are the only way I can get results. If I write to the Department I do not get a reply for three or four months.
We have been through all this earlier. It is a pity the Deputy did not come in so that we could have had them all together. I will go over it again but it is just taking more time to do it.
But it is so important.
I appreciate that but if the Deputy has an interest in his questions it would be worth his while to come in and we could have a complete discussion.
I am here for all my questions.
If the Dáil is not sitting then there will not be parliamentary questions. When the parliamentary questions are not going into the Department there is an opportunity of getting the regular work back to normal.
How are we going to get results when the Dáil is not in session?
I have told the Deputy that one of the problems is the volume of routine parliamentary questions which are being put into the Department and take up the time of the staff who deal with ministerial questions and questions for Deputies. Once the parliamentary questions are not there they will be able to bring their other work up to date.
Is the Minister saying that we are disrupting the work of his Department by putting in questions?
I am not saying the Deputy is doing it intentionally. I am saying it is a fact of the system that when questions are put in they take from the time that is available.
What the Minister is saying is that, because 40 questions are put down to his Department, there is a delay.
31.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
There was no undue delay in dealing with the recent claim of the person concerned which was for unemployment benefit. The person concerned, who has since resumed work, is entitled to unemployment benefit in respect of one day only, namely, 21 April 1981. Payment of unemployment benefit due was made to him at the local office at Dungarvan.
(Interruptions.)
I wish to refute the statement that these questions were put down before Easter. They were not put down before Easter. All the questions which I have tabled were put down within the last three weeks but, like a lot of other people, I did not think the Dáil would reassemble after Easter.
A lot of the questions were put down before Easter and were carried over to now. The payments, as I said earlier, were made on 27 March and 3 April.
32.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have the fuel variation charges in ESB accounts included in the free electricity scheme.
The fuel variation charge is paid for by my Department up to the number of units allowed free under the free electricity allowance scheme. Under the scheme a maximum number of 200 units is allowed in summer billing periods and a maximum number of 300 in winter.
33.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of pay-related benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The entitlement of the person concerned to pay-related benefit could not be established until particulars of his previous net weekly earnings were known. Inquiries had to be made in the case and the necessary details were recently obtained from his previous employer. Payment of pay-related benefit has been authorised and arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due this week.
I want a simple answer to this question. What recourse do the public have when it comes to non-payment of disability and pay-related benefits when the Dáil is not sitting? Do they have to wait three or four months? I know that one Deputy has resorted to sending telegrams to the Minister, but do we all have to do that? What recourse do we have once this House closes down for four or five months?
I said here earlier — and again I am sorry the Deputy was not here for a discussion — that I have placed my office and my staff available on overtime. The Deputy is very welcome to come in to meet them. I know some Deputies deal with them personally on the telephone. I know that we have a specific person in the Department dealing with a secretary for the Deputy and dealing continuously with that secretary for the Deputy. It is a bit annoying then to find that, notwithstanding the very excellent service which is given, the Deputy in question puts down questions which have been answered some time ago. That is the service which is available. What happens is that the question currently is dealt with; it is passed on to the section in the Department and they are asked for the information that is requested by the Deputy. An acknowledgement is sent to the Deputy and as soon as the information is available for the Department the replies can be prepared.
34.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 21 February 1981 and was paid all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due from 25 February 1981 to 4 April 1981, after which date he was certified fit to resume work. The delay in payment of benefit was due to the fact that he quoted his insurance number instead of his RSI number on the medical certificates submitted in connection with his claim.
How up to date has the Minister got with regard to this cross-indexation that he has been speaking about? Surely if a person submits his insurance number the Department should be able to relate it within a matter of minutes. How advanced is the system?
The Deputy is talking now about something that was paid a good while ago. People are now quoting their RSI numbers. The percentage who were not quoting their RSI numbers initially was between 25 and 30 per cent. That is down now to between 8 and 10 per cent. At anytime one will get 7 per cent of people who will either give a wrong number or no number at all. We are virtually back to the normal quotation of numbers. The system is vast with 70,000 claims in a week for disability benefit and we still have cases coming up which, because of the communication difficulty, have taken some more time to resolve. But, by and large, the system is back to normal or is close to it.
It could not be.
How could I be paying out 73,000 disability benefit claims every week, about £3 million a week, if what I say is not true? What I say is true. There are still some outstanding problems and I accept that but relatively speaking people are now giving their proper numbers and on that basis they are getting their payments. But if they do not give the proper number it cannot be associated.
How can the Minister say that when all these questions have gone in in the last two or three weeks? I have asked a specific question and I want an answer. I asked how long does it take to trace the RSI number if a person merely submits his insurance number?
A cross index has virtually been built up but there is a limit to how far one can go. It is over 85 per cent efficient at this stage.
It is hard luck for the 15 per cent.
It is not. The Deputy should have listened to the other answers. There are 10,000 employers who have not made their returns. There is no way to get the record of people in those cases. It means there must be an investigation and we must pursue the employers. A figure of 10,000 employers bring in a lot of employees.
35.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned was in receipt of disability benefit since 1972. She was paid regularly each week and was only required to submit medical certificates at monthly intervals. Although no medical certificates had been received from her after December 1980 it was decided, in view of the length of her illness, to continue payment to 4 April 1981 when payment ceased.
My Department have confirmed that she is still incapable of work and that she proposes to submit covering medical evidence to date. Accordingly payment of disability benefit has been restored and she has been paid to 9 May 1981.
36.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 2 April 1981 and has been paid all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due from 6 April 1981, fourth day of incapacity, to 6 May 1981.
There was no undue delay in the payment of benefit in this case. The cheques issued promptly on receipt of medical evidence of incapacity.
I still have not got an answer to a very simple question. What arrangements will be made when this House is not in session to see that these payments are made promptly? It is a very important issue because the normal course of events is that one gets a letter of acknowledgment within three weeks and one does not get an eventual reply until three months later.
The first thing that happens is that the person is paid the benefit. The priority is given to going to the section and getting the benefit paid. An acknowledgment is sent to the Deputy and subsequently——
Will the Minister assure us that the payments will be made more promptly when he receives representations?
I assure the Deputy that I will take up with any section within the Department any query raised by the Deputy.
What would the Minister regard as a reasonable length of time?
They are taken up instantly.
(Interruptions.)
37.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned has claimed disability benefit from 16 November 1977 and has been paid from that date at the maximum appropriate rate. He is paid regularly on the same day each week in advance of medical evidence and all disability benefit due to 9 May 1981 has issued.
It is proposed to transfer him to invalidity pension from 14 May 1981. He will be paid all disability benefit due to that date and thereafter will receive payment of invalidity pension at the post office designated by him. There has been no delay in the payment of disability benefit in this case.
38.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 10 September 1980 and has been paid all disability benefit due from that date to 16 May 1981.
He complained of the non-receipt of payment for week commencing 19 January 1981. A list of all cheques issued to him in January 1981 was forwarded to him requesting him to indicate which cheque had not been received. He subsequently confirmed the receipt of all payments issued to him in the month of January.
No disability benefit payment is, therefore, outstanding in this case.
39.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why disability benefit has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin since February 1981.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 11 February 1981 and was paid from 14 February, fourth day of incapacity, at the maximum appropriate rate. Payment of all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due has issued to 25 March 1981 after which date he resumed work.
He reported the non-receipt of one cheque. As it was not clear which cheque was involved a list of cheques issued has been sent to him to enable him to indicate the missing one. On receipt of his reply replacement action will be taken.
40.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability and pay-related benefits to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 6 February 1981 and has been paid from 10 February, fourth day of incapacity, at the maximum appropriate rate. There has been no delay in payment and all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 4 May has issued.
How can the Minister say that there is no delay because the person wrote to me complaining that there had been a major delay?
The first cheque issued on 20 February for a claim of 10 February. That is why the Department say there was no delay.
41.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider increasing the prescribed relative's allowance to a more realistic figure bearing in mind that people in receipt of this allowance have given up their employment to look after elderly relatives and that the present allowance of £14.70 is inadequate.
Under the provisions of this year's budget the prescribed relative allowance was raised from the beginning of April from £11.75 a week to £14.70 a week, an increase of 25 per cent. I consider this to be a reasonable increase and I do not contemplate a further increase at present.
Does the Minister consider that, apart from the social end, it is not economically sound to give increased allowances whereby people who are now in homes and institutions could be brought out and kept at home by a caring relative?
I agree that is an area which it is desirable to develop and I am interested in doing that.
Would the Minister acknowledge that a figure of £14.70 for some relative to give up work and look after an aged person is inadequate?
A 25 per cent increase would apply this year and a 25 per cent increase applied last year but the general question of to whom it should be paid and what the general policy should be is one that is worthy of review.
42.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the non-payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed injury benefit on 10 April 1981 in respect of an accident at work on 9 April 1981. Pending the outcome of inquiries regarding the nature and origin of his incapacity he is being paid disability benefit on an interim basis.
All disability benefit due from 14 April 1981, fourth day of incapacity, to 2 May, has been paid.
He will be advised of the outcome of the inquiries regarding his claim to occupational injury benefit.
43.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the non-payment of unemployment benefit at the maximum rate to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
In order to qualify for the maximum rate of unemployment benefit, which in this case would be £24.55 a week, the person concerned would require to have 48 contributions paid or credited in the relevant contribution period. He had, however, only 32 contributions and is not therefore entitled to unemployment benefit at the maximum rate. He is being paid at the reduced rate of £22 a week which is the rate appropriate in his case.
44.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why a person (details supplied) in County Dublin has not as yet been paid disability benefit; and if he is aware that six weeks' benefit is now due.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 22 April 1980 and all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 16 May 1981 has issued.
When he had completed the period of 52 weeks in receipt of benefit in mid-April 1981 there was delay in payment while inquiries were being made to establish whether he was entitled to further payment. On completion of these inquiries payment for the period 13 April 1981 to 16 May 1981 was issued on 8 May 1981.
45.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
I would refer the Deputy to my reply of 10 March to the question put down by him regarding the same person. Payment of disability benefit and pay-related benefit has since issued each week to the claimant. He is currently paid to the 8 May 1981.
46.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Galway who is an applicant for an allowance for looking after an aged person will receive the allowance.
Insufficient details have been supplied to enable the case in question to be identified.
If the Deputy will furnish further particulars, for example pension number and type of pension of the aged person in question, I will have the matter examined.
Perhaps the Minister would send a copy of that to Deputy Donnellan?
Yes.
47.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be paid a non-contributory old age pension.
The application of the person concerned for a non-contributory old age pension which was received on 8 April 1981 is under investigation. When the necessary inquiries have been completed the claim will be referred to the local pension committee for decision.
If payment of a pension is recommended by the social welfare officer it will be paid provisionally pending the pension committee's decision. If the decision is unfavourable the claimant will, of course, have the right of appeal against it.
Has the method of communication within the Minister's Department improved, particularly in relation to telephone communications?
We went into that earlier when the Deputy was not here. It has not improved other than that my office is working round the clock answering queries from the public and from Deputies. We had hoped that the phones would be restored from 1 May but we were informed by the union concerned that due to a grade claim, which is a civil service grade claim not directly to do with social welfare, this would not be done until this matter was resolved.
Will the Minister give us a number at which we can get an answer?
I will give the numbers of my own office subsequently at which the Deputy will get very good service.
The number 786444 does not answer.
It does but it can only come through to my office in the present circumstances where there is a limited number of phones.
Is the Minister saying that his private office can handle all the queries?
(Interruptions.)
The Deputy is aware of industrial relations and it would be better to leave it until the matter is resolved.
How many lines are at the Minister's number?
There are 44 lines.
Are they all operating?
All the lines are operating but there is no-one at the other end except in my office where there are four lines together with the ones that Deputies would use.
In the event of that number being engaged is there an alternative number which can be rung?
No, there are only the numbers at my office or the numbers which can come through the switch to my office. They are going from early morning to night. Of course written queries are received every day in the post and are dealt with immediately.
(Interruptions.)
48.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for an early decision on the unemployment assistance application of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
Inquiries in the case of the person concerned have now been completed and his means have been assessed on a factual basis. Arrangements have been made to pay all unemployment assistance due this week.
49.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for an early decision on the unemployment assistance application of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned appealed against the assessment of his means for unemployment assistance and an appeals officer upheld the decision of the deciding officer on 30 April 1981.
The decision in the case was posted to the person concerned on 11 May 1981.
What is the address concerned?
Is the Deputy asking what address it went to? I will give that to the Deputy. Presumably he does not want me to put it on the record.
It does not matter.
I will give the information to the Deputy afterwards.
50.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of pay-related and disability benefits to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 2 March 1981 and was paid from that date at the maximum appropriate rate. All disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 9 May 1981 has issued.
There was some delay in payment from 20 April 1981, as notification was received from the health board indicating that supplementary welfare allowance had been advanced to him. When it was established that the amount advanced has been refunded, arrears of benefit issued.
He is contributing to delay in payment as he continues to quote his insurance number only on medical certificates submitted in support of his claim, despite the fact that he was requested to quote the RSI number.
51.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of pay related benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.
Before the entitlement of the person concerned to pay-related benefit could be decided, certain inquiries were necessary to establish his earnings during the relevant income tax year. It was also necessary to obtain details of his income prior to the onset of his unemployment benefit claim, to enable the statutory 85 per cent limit to be determined.
Although the investigations in this case have not yet been finalised, it has been ascertained that the person concerned has sufficient earnings to enable a partial payment of pay-related benefit to be made.
Accordingly, arrangements have been made to make an interim payment of pay-related benefit this week. When the inquiries are completed, the balance of pay-related benefit, if any, due will be paid as expeditiously as possible.