asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will pay disability and pay-related benefits to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
511.
The person concerned claimed and was paid disability benefit from 17 March 1981. According to the records of my Department he had no contributions paid or credited in the 1979-80 contribution year which governed his claim but credits were allowed provisionally as it was ascertained that he had been in employment. These credits had the effect of qualifying him for benefit and payment was made to 24 November 1981. According to a recent report, however, it appears that the employment in question was as a subcontractor and that in fact it may not have been insurable employment. Further inquiries are being made and on completion of these inquiries the benefit claim will be reviewed.
512.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will have disability benefit paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 29 April 1980 and has been paid at the maximum appropriate rate from that date. Payment of all benefit due has been made to 19 December 1981. There was a delay in payment in respect of the week ending 16 November due to a misprint of a cheque which had to be withdrawn. Payment however was issued on 19 November 1981.
513.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will pay disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned claimed and was paid disability benefit from 9 April 1981. According to the records of my Department she had no social insurance contributions in the 1979-80 contribution year which governed her claim but credits were allowed provisionally which had the effect of qualifying her for payment. It has since been ascertained that the employment in which she was engaged was not insurable employment under social welfare legislation. She was not therefore entitled to the benefit which she received up to 3 October 1981 and it was necessary to discontinue payment after that date.
514.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will pay disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 14 May 1981 and was paid from 18 May 1981, fourth day of incapacity. Payment of all disability benefit and pay-related benefit due has been made to 14 December 1981, date of latest medical certificate received in my Department.
515.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will sanction a change of spectacles for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who requested a change 11 weeks ago.
An application for optical benefit, signed and dated by the person concerned on 24 November 1981, was received in my Department on 25 November 1981. The necessary approval for sight-testing and change of spectacles, if necessary, was issued to the claimant on 27 November 1981.
516.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will arrange to have disability benefit paid in full to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit from October 1979 to 29 August 1981. Payment was disallowed after that date following examination by a medical referee who was of opinion that he was capable of work. He did not appeal against the disallowance of benefit.
A further claim for disability benefit from 25 September 1981 was received from the claimant who quoted a different RSI number. As a result it was not connected up with his previous claim and payment amounting to £134.10 representing disability benefit at the personal rate was issued to him for the period from 28 September 1981 to 3 November 1981.
Payment has been withheld from 4 November 1981, pending further examination by a medical referee which took place on 4 December 1981. On this occasion the medical referee considered that the claimant was incapable of work and payment of disability benefit is being resumed from 21 December 1981. The arrears of benefit have been withheld, partly for recoupment to the South Eastern Health Board of supplementary welfare allowance advanced up to the 19 December 1981 and partly as recovery of a substantial overpayment of benefit in respect of the period 16 April to 16 June 1981 when he was paid concurrently under two different numbers.
517.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned has appealed against the decision of the deciding officer disallowing his claim for unemployment assistance on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit. In this connection certain inquiries are presently being made and when these are completed his appeal will be referred to an appeals officer for decision.
518.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
Inquiries were necessary regarding the entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment benefit. These inquiries have now been completed and benefit has been allowed at the weekly rate of £20.40 increased to £21.00 from 5 October 1981.
519.
(Wexford) asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The person concerned is presently in receipt of unemployment benefit and if he remains unemployed he will continue to be paid benefit until he exhausts his entitlement on 13 January 1982 when he is due to complete the maximum duration of 390 days.
He has been issued with an application form to enable him to claim unemployment assistance after the exhaustion of his unemployment benefit if he is still unemployed and he satisfies the statutory means test.
520.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
A claim for disability benefit from the person concerned was prepared on 11 September 1981. The papers relating to the claim were however mislaid and payment did unfortunately not issue. It has been ascertained in the meantime from his employers that the claimant was absent from work due to illness from 3 September 1981 to 3 October 1981 inclusive and all disability benefit at the appropriate rate has been paid to him in respect of that period.
When details are available of his earnings in 1979-80, the relevant tax year, pay-related benefit, if due, will be paid.
521.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an old age pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The claim of the person concerned for a non-contributory old age pension has been investigated and referred to the local pension committee for decision. Pension at the weekly rate of £6.60 from 11 February 1981, £11.85 from 3 April 1981 and £13.15 from 2 October 1981 has been recommended.
A pension order book, payable from 2 October 1981, at the rate of £13.15, has been issued on a provisional basis pending the pension committee's decision. The arrears due have also been issued.
522.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned had been in receipt of disability benefit from 13 September 1978 to 17 October 1981. At that stage payment was stopped as a final certificate was received indicating that he was capable of work. Subsequent inquiries at the hospital, where he is a patient, have established that the final certificate was in respect of the claimant's brother who was also a patient in the hospital. The position has now been rectified and the arrears of benefit due from 19 October to 12 December 1981 issued on 3 December.
523.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will arrange to pay pay-related benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The entitlement to pay-related of the person concerned is dependent on his reckonable earnings during the income tax period April 1979 to April 1980.
According to my Department's records he has insufficient earnings in the 1979-80 tax year to qualify for pay-related benefit. However he has been requested to state whether he had additional employment during this period the earnings from which could be treated as reckonable earnings for the purposes of pay-related benefit. On receipt of this information his entitlement to pay-related benefit will be considered.
524.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an old age pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
I regret that the details supplied are insufficient to enable the person concerned to be positively identified from the records of my Department. The records do, however, contain reference to a person of the same name from the Dunfanaghy area who applied unsuccessfully some years ago for both retirement pension and old age non-contributory pension. There is no record of a current claim for old age pension from this person.
If the Deputy can furnish further particulars, which would help to clarify the identity of the person concerned I will have the matter re-examined.
525.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare if arrangements will be made immediately to pay disability and pay-related benefits to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 13 May 1981 and was paid from 16 May 1981, fourth day of incapacity. All disability benefit and pay-related benefit due to 11 December 1981, date of the latest medical certificate received, has been issued.
He was paid disability benefit at the maximum rate appropriate to a married man with four qualified children, to 28 August 1981 and at the rate appropriate to a married man with five qualified children from 29 August 1981 onwards.
The statutory position regarding payment of pay-related benefit is that the total weekly amount of flat-rate disability benefit in payment plus pay-related benefit cannot exceed a person's reckonable weekly earnings in the tax year relevant to his claim. The claimant's reckonable earnings in the income tax year (1979-80) relevant to his claim averaged £88.70 a week. Initially he was entitled to pay-related benefit at the weekly rate of £24.45 which together with the flat rate payment of £64.25 brought his total weekly benefit to £88.70. As his weekly rate of flat-rate disability benefit was increased from 29 August 1981 for the additional child and again from 5 October 1981 when the 3 per cent increase in rates became effective the weekly rates of pay-related benefit were reduced by corresponding amounts to comply with the afore-mentioned provision. At no stage however did the combined total of flat-rate benefit and pay-related benefit fall below £88.70 a week.
Payment is made on receipt of medical evidence of incapacity in my Department. The medical certificates, however, are being received from the person concerned at irregular intervals and payment of benefit follows the same pattern.
If he would arrange to forward the medical certificates immediately on their receipt from the certifier it will be possible to have payment issued more promptly and more regularly.
526.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan will be paid disability benefit which he is owed for the last six weeks.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 29 October 1981, but he was not entitled to payment as he had less than the required minimum of 26 paid or credited contributions in 1979-80, the contribution year governing his claim.
It is understood that he was employed in Great Britain for some years up to 1978. As no details of this employment are available in my Department, I am arranging to have an inspector call on him to obtain information regarding the employment. On completion of these inquiries his claim to disability benefit will be reviewed.
527.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when pay-related benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The claim of the person concerned for pay-related benefit has been allowed at the weekly rate of £17.40 from 23 November 1981. Arrangements have been made to pay all arrears of pay-related benefit due to him when he next calls to his local office. Further payments of pay-related benefit with unemployment benefit will be made as weekly payments fall due.
528.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when pay-related benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The claim of the person concerned for pay-related benefit has been allowed at the weekly rate of £25.30 from 21 November 1981. The person concerned is a postal applicant and arrangements have been made to issue to her an order for encashment at her local post office paying all arrears of pay-related benefit this week. Further payments of pay-related benefit with unemployment benefit will be made as weekly payments fall due.
529.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The person concerned was paid unemployment benefit from 17 January 1981 to 6 May 1981. He then claimed disability benefit from 9 May 1981 and has been paid, at the maximum appropriate rate, from that date. Payment of all benefit due has been made to 9 December 1981.
The cheques which issued in respect of the period 9 May 1981 to 15 June 1981 have been cashed and returned to my Department. Arrangements are being made to have an inspector call on the claimant to enable him to inspect the signatures on these cheques. On receipt of the inspector's report any further action necessary will be taken.
530.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reasons arrears of old age pension are not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon.
I am glad to be able to inform the Deputy that the arrears in question have now been issued. I greatly regret the inconvenience caused to the person concerned by the delay in issuing the arrears.
531.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when pay-related benefit which is due since August last will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin.
All arrears of pay-related benefit due to the person concerned were paid on 11 December 1981. He is accordingly entitled to combined weekly payments of £92.99, made up of £41.70 flat-rate unemployment benefit and £51.29 pay-related benefit.
532.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a children's allowance which is due since October last will be paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin.
A children's allowance book covering payment in respect of a sixteen year old child for the period November 1981 to June 1982 issued 16 October 1981. As apparently the book was not received a replacement book was issued on 14 December 1981.
533.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment and pay-related benefits are not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
Inquiries were necessary to establish that the person concerned fulfilled the statutory contribution conditions for entitlement to unemployment benefit.
These inquiries were recently completed and payment of flat rate unemployment benefit at the weekly rate of £71.75 was authorised. Arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due this week following which weekly payments will be made as they fall due. A small weekly deduction will however be made from these payments towards the recovery of an overpayment on a previous claim.
Inquiries to ascertain his reckonable earnings during the April 1979 to April 1980 income tax year are still in train and when they are completed his title to pay-related benefit will be determined.
534.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why pay-related and unemployment benefits are not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon.
As the person concerned does not satisfy the contribution conditions for unemployment benefit his claim was disallowed and he was notified to that effect. Pay-related benefit can only be paid in conjunction with the flat-rate benefit. The person concerned has indicated that he wishes to appeal against this decision and steps are being taken to refer the matter to an appeals officer.
In the meantime he has been awarded unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £6.45, being the maximum rate of £20.35 a week payable to a single person less means of £13.90.
535.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she is aware that a person (details supplied) in County Offaly who applied for unemployment assistance approximately nine weeks ago has not received it to date; and if, in view of the fact that he is married with three children and urgently needs payment, she will have this matter investigated and ensure that assistance and all arrears due will be paid immediately.
The person concerned is not entitled to unemployment assistance as a deciding officer of my Department decided that he was not entitled to a qualification certificate on the grounds that his means, derived from self employment as a haulage contractor, exceed the statutory limit of £2,740.40 per annum.
If the person concerned is dissatisfied with the decision of the deciding officer it is open to him to appeal and his case will be referred to an appeals officer for determination. A form for this purpose is obtainable at his local office.
Question No. 536 postponed.