asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
402.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment benefit could not be determined until inquiries to establish that she fulfilled the condition of being available for work had been completed. These inquiries were recently completed and her unemployment benefit claim has been allowed at the weekly rate of £32.75. All arrears due will be paid to her this week and further weekly payments will be made as they become due.
403.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether a person (details supplied) in County Wexford is eligible for unemployment assistance.
Following the completion of an investigation by a social welfare officer the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that his means, £55.35 weekly, exceeded the appropriate rate of unemployment assistance payable to him as a married man. His means were derived from the rental from a shop and from self-employment as a cabinet maker. He has been informed of the decision in the case and of his right to have his means determined by an appeals officer.
404.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will be called before the medical referees in relation to her appeal against disallowance of disability benefit.
Payment of disability benefit to the person concerned was disallowed from 6 August 1984 following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work. She appealed against the disallowance and she was examined on 28 September 1984 by a different medical referee who also considered her to be capable of work. Her case has been referred to an appeals officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing as soon as possible. She will be notified of the time and place of the hearing as soon as the arrangements have been made.
405.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether a person (details supplied) in County Wexford is owed eight weeks arrears of unemployment assistance since he signed on 5 November 1984.
To be entitled to unemployment assistance an applicant must be the holder of a qualification certificate and to obtain a qualification certificate an applicant must fulfil certain conditions which include an assessment of his means.
The person concerned is not the holder of a qualification certificate but his application is at present being investigated by a social welfare officer. When the inquiries are completed his means will be assessed and his entitlement to unemployment assistance in respect of the period 5 November 1984 to 5 December 1984 will be determined accordingly.
406.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a non-contributory pension has not yet been paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin who has two dependent children and has no income whatsoever.
The person concerned, whose husband died on 4 December 1984, claimed a widow's non-contributory pension on 7 January 1985.
A social welfare officer has been requested to investigate and report on her circumstances and when his report is received a decision will be given in her case without delay and she will be notified of the outcome. Her late husband had been in receipt of old age non-contributory pension which included an increase in respect of his wife and two children and payment of this pension was continued to her for six weeks after his death.
407.
(Limerick West) asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be increased in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick.
The person concerned is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at £14.95 weekly, the appropriate rate £29.95 less £15 means. His means are derived from self-employment as a mechanic. He did not appeal against the amount of means assessed against him. However if he considers that his circumstances have changed since his means were assessed it is open to him to apply for a reinvestigation of his case after which the assessment of his means would be reviewed and the rate of unemployment assistance payable to him would be determined accordingly. An application form for this purpose may be obtained at his local office.
408.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for immediate payment of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned does not satisfy the contribution conditions for entitlement to unemployment benefit on the basis of his Irish contribution record. However, inquiries are being made to ascertain his British contribution record and when these are completed his entitlement to unemployment benefit will be reviewed in the light of the outcome. In the meantime he is in receipt of payments of unemployment assistance at £29.90 weekly.
409.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if an old age pensioner (details supplied) in County Galway is in receipt of the correct amount of pension.
It has been decided that the person concerned is entitled to an old age pension at the weekly rate of £18.50 from 28 December 1984 which includes a living alone allowance of £3.20. This is the rate of pension to which he is entitled having regard to the assessment of his means consisting of the weekly value of his British retirement pension.
410.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Monaghan will receive arrears of an old age pension.
All arrears of old age pension due to the person concerned have been issued.
411.
Mr. Coughlan
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a living alone allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned has been awarded a living alone allowance of £3.20 a week with effect from 26 October 1984, the date from which the widow's pension in payment to her was awarded. An allowance book with orders payable from 7 December 1984 was issued to the designated post office on 11 February 1984 for collection by her and she was notified accordingly. Arrears for the period from 26 October 1984 to 6 December will be sent direct to her shortly by payable order.
412.
Mr. Coughlan
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when payment of unemployment assistance will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that the means assessed against him £43.25 weekly, derived from self-employment, exceeded the rate payable to him. He was notified of this decision on 23 January 1985. If he is dissatisfied with the amount of means assessed against him, it is open to him to appeal against the decision. A form for this purpose may be obtained at his local office.
413.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will indicate eligibility for unemployment benefit in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment benefit from the commencement of his claim on 27 February 1984 and from 7 January 1985 when a new benefit year commenced is governed by his contribution record during the contribution periods 6 April 1982 to 5 April 1983 and 6 April 1983 to 5 April 1984 respectively. During these periods he had nil contributions paid or credited and accordingly he does not satisfy the contribution condition for entitlement to unemployment benefit. Details of social insurance contributions recorded in the Department since his entry into insurance on 24 May 1950 are as follows:—
|
Year |
Contributions |
Year |
Contributions |
Year |
Contributions |
|||
|
Paid |
Credited |
Paid |
Credited |
Paid |
Credited |
|||
|
1949/50 |
5 |
47 |
1961 |
52 |
1972 |
52 |
||
|
1950/51 |
47 |
1962 |
51 |
1973 |
53 |
|||
|
1951/52 |
46 |
1 |
1963 |
52 |
1974 |
52 |
||
|
1952/53 |
43 |
1964 |
52 |
1975 |
46 |
6 |
||
|
1954 |
44 |
1965 |
52 |
1976 |
52 |
|||
|
1955 |
46 |
1966 |
24 |
29 |
1977 |
50 |
||
|
1956 |
44 |
3 |
1967 |
30 |
21 |
1978/79 |
66 |
|
|
1957 |
31 |
16 |
1968 |
50 |
1979/80 |
52K1 |
7 |
|
|
1958 |
49 |
1969 |
52 |
1980/81 |
52K1 |
|||
|
1959 |
39 |
10 |
1970 |
52 |
1981/82 |
40K1 |
||
|
1960 |
52 |
1971 |
52 |
1982/83 |
Nil |
Nil |
||
|
1983/84 |
Nil |
Nil |
414.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when outstanding unemployment benefit payments will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
According to the records of the Department the person concerned was paid flat rate unemployment benefit from the commencement of his claim on 11 May 1982 to 26 August 1983 when he exhausted his entitlement to benefit on the completion of 390 days. He was not entitled to pay-related benefit with his flat rate unemployment benefit as the rate of unemployment benefit payable to him exceeded the 85 per cent limit applicable to his claim. There are accordingly no outstanding payments of unemployment benefit due to the person concerned.
415.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork who is in receipt of a non-contributory old age pension is not in receipt of a contributory pension in view of the fact that he has a substantial number of English contributions and was in receipt of farmers dole for 20 years.
The person concerned reached age 65 on 11 November 1983 and claimed retirement pension on 24 November 1983.
One of the qualifying conditions for receipt of a retirement pension under the Social Welfare Acts requires a person to have a yearly average of at least 24 reckonable contributions over the period from the beginning of the 1953 contribution year or from his year of entry into insurance, whichever is the later, to the end of the last complete contribution year before reaching pension age. The person concerned does not satisfy this condition as the Department's records show that he entered into insurance under the Acts on 20 November 1961 and had a total of 256 paid and credited Irish contributions in the relevant period, equal to a yearly average of only 11. Neither did he qualify for contributory old age pension at age 66; a yearly average of at least 20 is required for this latter pension.
He cannot be allowed credited contributions in respect of the period in which he received unemployment assistance from 1972 onwards as there is no record of him having had paid or credited contributions from the beginning of 1968 to the end of 1971, inclusive. The regulations provide that where a person has no paid or credited contributions during the two preceding contribution years then credited contributions may not be allowed in respect of periods of unemployment or illness until he again has at least 26 weeks of insurable employment in respect of which appropriate contributions have been paid.
He stated on his claim form that he had been employed in Britain from 1958 to 1960. He could not supply his British insurance number and was asked to supply details of his British employment. The details which he supplied were sent to the Department of Health and Social Security, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in February 1984 but that Department was unable to trace his record. However, even with the addition of British contributions for the full period of the three years in question his combined British and Irish yearly average would not suffice to qualify him for a pro-rata retirement pension or contributory old age pension under the EC Regulations on Social Security. Details of his Irish insurance record have been sent to the British Department of Health and Social Security and that Department will advise him of any entitlement he may have to a British retirement pension, if they can trace his British record. His non-contributory old age pension will continue to be paid to him.
416.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the outcome of the appeal made last September by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 1 for a fuel voucher.
It is understood from the Eastern Health Board, which administers the national fuel scheme in the Dublin area, that an application from the person concerned for a fuel allowance under that scheme was refused in October 1984. An appeal against this refusal was made in November 1984 and as soon as the appeal has been decided the person concerned will be notified of the outcome. The husband of the person concerned is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance and is receiving a fuel allowance under the urban fuel scheme in the Dublin area. A fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme would not be paid to the household in respect of any period for which an allowance was payable under the urban fuel scheme.