asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant a free telephone allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
98.
To qualify for a free telephone rental allowance, a person in receipt of a qualifying payment, must be living alone or only with children under 15 years of age or other persons who are so permanently incapacitated as to be unable to summon aid in an emergency. A prescribed relatives allowance is in payment to the person concerned in respect of her daughter who resides with her as she is providing her mother with constant care and attention. Her daughter cannot therefore, be considered to be permanently incapacitated as required by the free telephone rental allowance scheme. Her application was consequently rejected and she was notified accordingly on 22 May 1985.
99.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Galway is entitled to an increased rate of unemployment assistance.
Following reinvestigation of his unemployment assistance claim the means of the person concerned were assessed at £5.75 weekly, derived from the profit from a plot of land. He is, accordingly, entitled to unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £86.60, being the appropriate rate in his case of £92.35 less means of £5.75. The person concerned appealed against the means assessment but an appeals officer also assessed him with means of £5.75 weekly and he has been notified of the decision of the appeals officer. Weekly payments of £86.60 will continue to be made as they become due.
100.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a free electricity allowance was refused to a person (details supplied) in County Galway who is an old age pensioner residing alone.
One of the conditions for receipt of a free electricity allowance is that an eligible person must be living alone or with certain excepted persons. In the course of inquiries recently made from the applicant she stated that her son does not have a house of his own and that he is mainly resident with her. As her son is not a person who comes within the excepted categories for satisfying the living alone condition of the scheme she does not, therefore, satisfy the conditions for receipt of the allowance.
Question No. 101 withdrawn.
102.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an increased rate of unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
According to the records in the Department the person concerned has not applied for a review of his means. It is however open to him to do so and a form for this purpose may be obtained at his local employment exchange. He is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £29.95 being the appropriate rate in this case of £33.80 less means of £3.85 derived from the profit from his holding. Weekly payments will continue to be made as they become due.
103.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for a withdrawal of a free electricity allowance from a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
One of the conditions for receipt of a free electricity allowance is that an eligible person must be living alone or with certain excepted persons. The allowance which applied to the account of the person concerned was terminated in August 1984 as his brother who resided with him was not a person who came within the excepted categories for satisfying the living alone condition of the scheme.
104.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was referred to a social welfare officer for investigation of his means. These inquiries, which are protracted, are still incomplete. When the inquiries are completed his means will be assessed by a deciding officer and his entitlement to unemployment assistance will be determined in the light of the means assessed against him.
105.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason persons (details supplied) in County Tipperary are only in receipt of a non-contributory old age pension of £12 each as all their land has been signed over, they have no stock on that land and no moneys in the bank; in view of this if their circumstances will be reassessed; when this will be done; and the amount which will be granted to them in the future.
The persons concerned are in receipt of old age pension at the weekly rate of £12. This is the rate to which they are each entitled, having regard to the assessment of their means, comprising half the weekly value of capital and a holding (the transfer of part of which is not acceptable for old age pension purposes). An appeal has been lodged and the cases have been referred to an appeals officer for determination. When the cases are decided upon, the persons will be notified of the outcome without delay.
106.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason the full rate of unemployment assistance is not being paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
Following a review of the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned, his means, which had been assessed at £2.40 weekly, were assessed at nil, effective from 29 April 1985. It has now come to light that the notification of this change was lost in postal transit to his local office. He is, is accordingly, entitled to adjusting arrears of £2.40 weekly from 29 April 1985, which will be paid this week and weekly payments of £33.80, being the maximum rate in his case will continue to be made as they become due.
107.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will be made on an appeal for unemployment assistance of a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
Arising out of contentions made by the person concerned, in support of his appeal against the disallowance of his unemployment assistance claim, his case has been referred to a social welfare officer for further inquiries.
When these inquiries are completed his case will be submitted to an appeals officer for determination, at the first available opportunity, and the entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the means assessed against him.
108.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider increasing the amount of an old age pension being paid to a husband and wife (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The persons concerned are at present in receipt of old age pensions at the weekly rate of £40. This is the rate to which they are each entitled having regard to the assessment of their means consisting of half the weekly value of capital.
Your representations have been accepted as an application for an increase in their existing rates of old age pension. Their cases are being forwarded to a social welfare officer for investigation. On completion of inquiries they will be referred to a deciding officer for decisions. The pensioners will be notified of the outcome without delay.
109.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the cause of the long delay in having unemployment benefit paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who has been signing for such benefit for almost 13 weeks now.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment benefit could not be determined until inquiries had been made to establish that she fulfilled the condition of being available for work. These inquiries were recently completed and her claim was allowed at the maximum flat rate unemployment benefit, appropriate to a married woman, of £34.70 weekly. All arrears due will be paid this week and further weekly payments will be made as they become due.
110.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have unemployment assistance paid by post to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who has to walk six miles to the employment exchange in Bagnalstown, County Carlow, as neither she not her family have any form of transport whatsoever.
The current signing arrangements are governed by regulations which provide that claimants to unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit must sign the unemployed register to indicate that they are available for and genuinely seeking work. Persons who reside within six miles of their local office are required to present themselves there to sign the register at least once weekly to prove unemployment. Claimants who reside over six miles from their local office register as unemployed at their local garda station. Ther are paid at their local post office on foot of a voucher sent to them by their local office which is certified by the Garda.
The person concerned is in receipt of the maximum rate of unemployment assistance appropriate to her but as she lives just over five miles from her local office she does not come within the category of claimants covered by the postal arrangements and is accordingly required to sign the unemployed register at this office once weekly to prove unemployment.
111.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the rate of a contributory old age pension which a person (details supplied) in County Wexford should be receiving; the rate she is receiving, and the reason for the discrepancy.
The person concerned is in receipt of contributory old age pension since 9 March 1979. Her present rate of pension is £51.95 plus a living alone allowance of £3.40 per week. This is the rate appropriate to her yearly average of 24 reckonable contributions. Her yearly average was calculated on the basis of her total of 464 such contributions in the period from 7 July 1954 to June 1973. A yearly average of at least 48 reckonable contributions is required to qualify for the pension at the maximum rate — £54.90 a week at present for a person over 80 years of age. There are no contributions recorded in respect of her for the years 1960-61 to 1967-68.
112.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who completed an AnCO course on 2 September 1985 will receive payment of unemployment benefit for which he has been signing.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a claimant must be available for and genuinely seeking employment.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 16 September 1985 but his claim was disallowed on the grounds that he was not available for employment. He appealed, on 8 November 1985, against the disallowance and arrangements are being made to have his case submitted to an appeals officer for determination. His entitlement to unemployment benefit will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
113.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown of the means assessed against a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The person concerned was assessed with means of £26.85 weekly. The means assessed against him were derived from the value of board and lodging in his parents home.
In the case of wage earning families the method of calculation of the value of board and lodging is to deduct from net parental income, that is gross income less income tax, PRSI and health contributions, an amount to cover rent or mortgage repayments and also a set parental allowance. The remainder is then divided among the non-earning members of the household, including the applicant, and the result is taken as the value of the applicants board and lodgings. However, there is a maximum limit of 12½ per cent of the net income, and, in accordance with this limitation, the means of the person concerned were assessed at £26.85 weekly. The person concerned has not signed at his local office since last July.
114.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown and explanation of the means assessed against a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
The means of the person concerned were assessed at £23.25 weekly, derived from the value of board and lodging on his brothers holding and from the value of capital.
The method of calculation of the value of board and lodging where the household income is derived from farming, is to estimate the yearly profit from the farm and to divide that amount between all members of the household, including the applicant, on a weighted basis.
The profit from the farm in this case was estimated at £3,000 per annum and the person concerned was deemed to enjoy two-fifths of that income, that is £1,200 per annum or £23.07 weekly.
In addition, the person concerned had a small amount of capital which was calculated to have a weekly value of 18p. The total means assessed against him, therefore, amounted to £23.25 weekly.
He is accordingly entitled to unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £8.50, being the appropriate rate in his case of £31.75 less means of £23.25. Weekly payments will continue to be made as they become due.
115.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a non-contributory pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.
It has been decided that the person concerned is entitled to old age pension at the maximum weekly rate of £44 from 20 September 1985. The appropriate pension book payable from 4 October 1985 issued on 11 November 1985. A payable order covering arrears of pension due for the period 20 September 1985 to 3 October 1985 will issue without delay.
116.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will receive maternity benefit applied for some time ago, as her unemployment assistance was terminated two weeks ago.
Payment of maternity benefit at the weekly rate of £39.50 has been authorised for a 12 week period from 21 October 1985 to 11 January 1986. A cheque for £118.50 covering the period 21 October to 9 November 1985 issued to her on 5 November 1985. Payment of benefit will continue to issue on a weekly basis until 11 January 1986 when her entitlement ceases.
117.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
To qualify for unemployment assistance a person must be the holder of a qualification certificate.
The qualification certificate of the person concerned was revoked on 1 May 1985, on the grounds that by failing to furnish particulars of his means, he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit. Arrangements have been made to issue an appeal form to the person concerned to enable him to appeal against the decision, if he so wishes.
118.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if unemployment assistance is payable to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.
The unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed with effect from 27 February 1985 on the grounds that his means derived from the profit from his holding exceeded the statutory limit.
He appealed against the disallowance but an appeals officer also decided that his means exceeded the statutory limit. He was notified accordingly on 26 July 1985.
The person concerned applied for a review of his means and the case was again referred to the social welfare officer for investigation. It is hoped to complete the inquiries shortly and his means will then be assessed by a deciding officer.
The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the deciding officer's decision.
119.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when wet-time refunds due to a firm (details supplied) in County Meath will be paid by his Department.
All sums on foot of claims for refund of wet-time benefit paid by the firm concerned have been issued.
Sums totalling £9,101.83 were not found repayable as the condition which required that the employer had in his possession at the time of the stoppage of work a current wet-time book in respect of each employee, bearing evidence that not less than 12 contributions had been paid in respect of him in the period from the beginning of the contribution year immediately preceding the stoppage, was not satisfied. The firm was informed of the decision and the reason for disallowance in all cases. An appeal was received in one case in 1981 and the appeals officer confirmed the original decision in respect of the claims concerned with the exception of those in stoppages which occurred on four dates in December 1977 involving a total of £367.16. There are now no sums due to the firm concerned.