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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Jun 1987

Vol. 373 No. 4

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefit.

100.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if the appeal of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 against the decision to disqualify him from receiving disability benefit will be heard; the reason medical certificates and the copy of the appeal statement itself have apparently been mislaid within either his Department or the health board; if this appeal will be processed urgently as this person has been waiting six years for his assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The person concerned was in receipt of weekly disability benefit from June 1982 to 9 May 1987 when as a result of failure to attend for examination by a medical referee of the Department payment of benefit was disallowed for the statutory period of nine weeks from 11 May 1987 to 11 July 1987. The person concerned submitted an explanation for his failure to attend which was received in the Department on 3 June 1987. This explanation has been accepted as showing good cause for his non-attendance and payment of disability has been restored.

The person concerned has applied for invalidity pension. However, one of the conditions necessary for receipt of that pension is that an applicant must be regarded as being permanently incapable of work. He has been examined on five separate occasions by medical referees of the Department in order to assess his incapacity but at no stage has he been found permanently incapable of work. He has now been referred for another medical examination. His entitlement to invalidity pension will be reviewed on receipt of the medical referee's report.

There does not appear, from the records of this case, to have been any undue delay in dealing with the matter and in fact the person has been in continuous receipt of benefit from the commencement of his claim in 1982 to the disallowance of benefit from 11 May last. Benefit has now been restored and will continue to issue at regular weekly intervals on receipt of medical certificates which are required at monthly intervals.

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