asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway who is available for and actively seeking work.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
963.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit from 3 March 1982. However, her claim was disallowed on the grounds that she was not available for employment. She has appealed against the disallowance and her case will be heard by an appeals officer shortly. Her entitlement to unemployment benefit will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
964.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the immediate payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 20 April 1982. However, her claim was disallowed by a deciding officer on the grounds that she had less than 26 contributions in the relevant governing contribution year 1980-81.
965.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for a contributory old age pension at the maximum rate to be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned is not qualified for old age contributory pension under the Social Welfare Acts as she has a total of only 58 qualifying contributions recorded to her credit from 1953. This is equivalent to a yearly average of two contributions in the period from 6 July 1953 to 30 June 1973, the end of the contribution year immediately before that in which she attained pension age. She would require an average of at least 48 such contributions over this period to qualify for the maximum rate of old age contributory pension and a yearly average of from 20 to 47 contributions to qualify for a reduced rate of pension. However, as she was also employed in Great Britain the 58 contributions have served to qualify her for a pro-rata rate pension under EEC Regulations. This pension has been in payment since 8 August 1980 and the current weekly rate is £2.65, plus a further £2.70 a week living alone allowance. She is also in receipt of retirement pension from the British Department of Health and Social Security at maximum rate.
966.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will restore the free electricity allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The free electricity allowance which applied to the account of the person concerned was terminated from 1 July 1981, as his daughter, who was not a person who came within the excepted categories for satisfying the living alone condition of the scheme, was residing with him. If the pensioner considers that he now satisfied all the qualfying conditions of the scheme, he should re-apply for the allowance through his local ESB Office. The question of the restoration of the allowance will be considered on receipt of the completed application form.
967.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for the payment of unemployment assistance to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
All arrears of unemployment assistance due to the person concerned were issued to him on 27 May 1982. Further weekly payments of £22.50, the appropriate maximum rate of unemployment assistance for a single man with weekly means of £2.95 living in a rural area, continue to be made as they fall due.
968.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether arising from his reply to a similar parliamentary question, in which he indicated that he had inadequate information, he will now investigate the claims of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 in the light of the additional information supplied.
Further inquiries have revealed that the person concerned qualified for unemployment assistance during the period from 1 July 1980 to 26 June 1981, after which date she did not sign the unemployed register. She has been advised by post that unemployment assistance due, less a deduction for supplementary welfare allowance paid by the Eastern Health Board, is awaiting collection by her at her local employment exchange.