asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will investigate complaints by a person (details supplied) in Dublin of the extremely discourteous treatment allegedly meted out to him by his Department, and if he will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure there will be no recurrence.
Written Answers. - Discourteous Treatment by Officials.
914.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit since September 1981. Payment issues to him at regular weekly intervals and he is required to submit medical certificates only once a month. He was admitted to hospital on 9 March 1982 but, as the Department were not aware of this, benefit cheques continued to issue to his home address for the period to 17 April 1982. On 20 April 1982, following his discharge from hospital, he reported that he had not received all his benefit payments which had issued to him in March and April. A list of the cheques which issued was sent to him and when he indicated the cheques which he had not received and signed the standard form of indemnity replacement cheques were issued to him.
There was no intention at any time to be discourteous to the claimant. He was not kept waiting in the Public Office, Oisin House, for any period longer than was necessary for the completion of the inquiry. It was necessary to obtain details of the cheques which he did not receive while he was in hospital before replacement action could be taken. The replacement cheques were issued promptly on the receipt of this information. If he had notified my Department of the position prior to his admittance to hospital the necessary steps would have been taken to ensure that all payments would be directed to him at the hospital.