asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow, as he has been signing for the past seven weeks.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
607.
Following an investigation of the case by a social welfare officer the person concerned was assessed with means at £43.30 weekly derived from the benefit of his wife's earnings. He is accordingly entitled to unemployment assistance at £7.20 weekly being the maximum rate payable to him £50.50 less £43.30 and arrangements have been made to pay all arrears due this week. Further weekly payments will be made as they become due.
608.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason unemployment assistance is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
The person concerned was assessed with means at £45.00 weekly derived from self-employment as a plasterer and as the amount of his means exceeded the maximum weekly rate payable to him £25.45, he is not entitled to unemployment assistance. He recently appealed against the amount of means assessed against him and arrangements are being made to have his case determined by an appeals officer. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
609.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit was not paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and when this will be paid.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 17 January 1983 to 12 February 1983 after which date he was certified fit to resume work. He was not qualified for benefit at the commencement of his claim as according to the records of the Department he had less than the required minimum of 26 contributions paid or credited in 1981-82, the contribution year governing his claim.
Subsequent inquiries have established that the claimant has a total of 52 A1 contributions in the 1981-82 contribution year and is therefore qualified for benefit at the maximum appropriate rate. A cheque for the amount of disability benefit payable was issued on 30 May 1983. In addition, a cheque for the arrears of pay-related benefit payable from 31 January 1983, 13th day of incapacity, was also issued on 30 May 1983.
610.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a prisoner's wife allowance was not paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
The person concerned was awarded prisoner's wife's allowance for the period from 16 December 1982 to 2 March 1983 and a payable order for £352.70 has now been issued to her. This represents the amount payable for that period less deductions in respect of supplementary welfare allowance which she received from the South Eastern Health Board during that time.
It was necessary before payment could be made in this case to establish the exact amount of supplementary welfare allowance paid and this information was only recently supplied by the board.
611.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason invalidity pension is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and when payment will be made.
The person concerned is being paid disability benefit at regular weekly intervals and payment has been made to 20 May 1983.
Invalidity pension is payable in place of disability benefit to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are permanently incapable of work. The person concerned is being considered for the award of an invalidity pension and in this connection arrangements are being made to have him examined by a medical referee on 16 June 1983. His entitlement to the pension will be reviewed in the light of the report of that examination.
612.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason an invalidity pension has not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
Invalidity pension is payable in place of disability benefit to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are permanently incapable of work. In order to determine if the person concerned may be considered permanently incapable of work she was examined by a medical referee on 7 March 1983. The medical referee decided that it would be necessary to defer an opinion at that stage and to have the claimant examined again at a later date.
In this connection arrangements are being made to have her examined by a medical referee on 20 June 1983. Her entitlement to the pension will be reviewed in the light of the report of that examination.
613.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will rescind a decision to suspend unemployment benefit in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary as he is unemployed and has no income.
The person concerned was convicted in the District Court on 20 April 1983 of having knowingly made false representations for the purpose of obtaining unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance. As a consequence of his conviction he is statutorily disqualified for the receipt of unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit for a period of six months with effect from 21 April 1983 in accordance with sections 144 (3) (a) and 115 (1) (f) (i) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1981. In the meantime the person concerned is in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance.
614.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a non-contributory pension at a reduced rate was paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
The assessment of the person's means, consisting of his income from a holding, entitles him to a pension of £4.45 plus £2.70 living alone allowance. Pension at this rate is in payment on a provisional basis pending the decision of the local pension committee. If he is dissatisfied with the committee's decision he will have the right of appeal against it.
615.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will reconsider an application for unemployment benefit in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry in view of the fact that she is available for and genuinely seeking work; if he will arrange to have the appeal re-heard; and if she has the right of appeal to the Courts.
The claim of the person concerned to unemployment benefit was disallowed by a deciding officer who took the view that she had not made sufficient efforts to get work. She appealed against the decision and she attended an oral hearing of her case on 12 May 1983 at which she gave evidence on her own behalf. The appeals officer, however, upheld the decision disallowing benefit. The decision of the appeals officer is final in the absence of fresh facts or new evidence.
If, however, the person concerned now considers that she did not make fully available at the oral hearing facts or evidence in support of her claim, it is open to her to make a fresh submission setting out the new facts or evidence and the matter will be re-submitted to the appeals officer to enable him to review the case.
A person who is dissatisfied with the decision of an appeals officer has the right of appeal to the High Court on a question of law.
616.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
According to the Department's records the person concerned has been in continuous receipt of unemployment assistance each week since the commencement of his claim on 16 September 1982. He is being paid at the weekly rate of £50.45, being the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable to him £50.50 less means £0.05 derived from the value of capital.
617.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the rate of unemployment assistance payable to a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will be increased in view of the fact that he has a large family.
Following a review of his case the person concerned was assessed with nil means with effect from 28 February 1983. Payment of unemployment assistance at the maximum rate payable to him £84.65 will commence this week and when the amount of supplementary welfare allowance paid to him by way of advances is known, the balance of any arrears due will be paid.
Inquiries are still being made about his means prior to 28 February 1983. When these inquiries are completed his means will be reviewed and the rate of unemployment assistance from the commencement of his claim to 26 February 1983 will be determined accordingly.
618.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason disability benefit was refused to a person (details supplied) in County Louth.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit from 21 November 1982 to 14 February 1983, after which date payment was disallowed following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. He appealed against the disallowance and was examined on 12 April 1983 by a different medical referee who also considered him to be capable of work. His case has been referred to an appeals officer who proposed to hold an oral hearing. He will be notified of the time and place of the hearing as soon as the arrangements have been made.
619.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a living alone allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare.
A living alone allowance book and all arrears due have been issued to the person concerned.
620.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position regarding an application for unemployment assistance by a person (details supplied) in County Offaly.
The person named is not an applicant for unemployment assistance. However, her husband is in receipt of unemployment assistance of £44.55, being the appropriate maximum weekly rate in his case of £69.55 less means of £25.00 derived from his wife's earnings. He recently applied for a review of his means and his case has been referred to a social welfare officer for investigation. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the social welfare officer's report. In the meantime weekly payments of £44.55 will continue to be made as they become due.
621.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position regarding an application for old age pension for a person (details supplied) in County Offaly.
The claim of the person concerned has been disallowed by the local pension committee. He has appealed against this decision and the case has been referred to an appeals officer for determination. The claimant will be notified of the outcome in due course.
622.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position regarding an application for a prescribed relative allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Laois.
The person concerned has been awarded a prescribed relative's allowance with effect from 19 March 1982. Her weekly rate of widow's contributory pension has accordingly been increased by £15.45 per week from that date to 1 April 1982 and £19.30 from 2 April 1982 onwards. A pension order book with orders payable at the increased rate, from 29 April 1983, was sent to the designated Post Office on 26 April 1983 for collection by her and she was notified accordingly. All arrears of pension in respect of the period 19 March 1982 to 28 April 1983 were paid direct to her by means of a payable order on 11 May 1983.
623.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to pay invalidity pension to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny as the application has been made for a number of weeks.
The person concerned has been awarded an invalidity pension from 12 May 1983. The pension book payable from 30 June 1983 has issued to the designated post office of payment.
Arrears in respect of the period from 12 May 1983 to 29 June 1983 less the amount of disability benefit paid during that period, will be paid by payable order.
624.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be restored to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
The person concerned was disallowed payment of disability benefit from 25 April 1983 following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. He has appealed against the disallowance and, in connection with his appeal, arrangements are being made to have him examined by another medical referee. He will be notified of the time and place of the examination. His entitlement to further payment of benefit will be reviewed in the light of the medical referee's report following this examination.
625.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will take steps to alleviate the hardship and inconvenience now being caused to British contributory pensioners residing here and in receipt of payment of old age pension from his Department when adjustments are made in payment of their pensions from Britain.
British contributory pensions are assessable as means for old age pension purposes. The entitlement to old age pension of persons receiving British pension must, therefore, be reviewed to take account of increases in means when their British pensions are increased.
When old age pensions fall to be reduced as a result, the current pension book is recalled and replaced with a book at the appropriate rate. In the normal course this involves no undue delay and every effort is made to avoid inconvenience to pensioners.