asked the Minister for Social Welfare when payment of unemployment assistance will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.
62.
The person concerned applied for unemployment assistance on 6 October 1989 and his case was sent to the social welfare officer for investigation. The social welfare officer will interview the claimant and furnish his report this week. His case will be submitted without delay to a deciding officer for decision.
63.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for a refusal to grant an increase in old age pension to a person (details supplied) in County Laois who has no assets.
The person concerned is in receipt of old age non-contributory pension at the rate of £40 per week, pension having been awarded with effect from 27 April 1984. This is the rate appropriate to a person with weekly means of £15.38. Means were assessed on the basis of income from the letting of land.
In July 1987, the person concerned applied for an increase in pension on the grounds that he had transferred the family holding to his son. It was decided that an increase was not payable, however, as it was considered that the transfer of the family holding was undertaken in order to qualify for a higher rate of pension. This decision was upheld on appeal dated 23 May 1987.
The person concerned made a further claim for an increase in pension in May 1989. A deciding officer decided on 21 July 1989, following reinvestigation of the case by the local social welfare officer, that no increase in pension was payable as the person's means remained unchanged.
Under the terms of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1981, a person may not deprive himself of pay, income or property in order to qualify for old age non-contributory pension. If it appears that a person has deprived himself of income or property in order to qualify for pension, the yearly value of that means or property is still taken to be part of the means of that person for the purposes of determining entitlement to old age noncontributory pension.