asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.
95.
This person has not applied for unemployment assistance. However, it appears from inquiries which the Deputy has already made in this case that what he has in mind is this person's request to sign the unemployment register retrospectively. The position in the case is as follows.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 11 September 1989. As she failed to satisfy the contribution conditions she did not qualify for payment of unemployment benefit. She was allowed to sign the unemployment register for credited contributions from 11 September 1989.
A new benefit year commences in January 1990 and in the event of her proving unemployment at that stage, she would qualify for payment of unemployment benefit on the basis of her contribution record in the governing contribution year, 1988-89, if her claim is otherwise in order.
Representations were made on her behalf for permission to sign the unemployment register retrospectively to May 1986 on the grounds that she has been given incorrect information at the local employment office. She was requested to state in writing the reasons for failing to sign as unemployed during the period in question. In her reply, she stated that she contacted the employment office in May 1986, and understood from the information given to her that she needed 26 contributions before she was entitled to sign for credits.
The local employment office has no record of any inquiry from her regarding her entitlement to unemployment benefit or of any request to sign the unemployment register for the purpose of obtaining credited contributions. As she had not contacted the office or made inquiries between May 1986 and September 1988 regarding her entitlement to unemployment benefit permission to sign the unemployment register retrospectively was not granted by the deciding officer.
96.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be restored to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter having regard to the fact that the person concerned is in receipt of a supplementary welfare allowance.
Following an investigation of his means, the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed from 18 April 1989 on the grounds that by failing to disclose full details of his means, he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit for receipt of a qualification certificate. He appealed the decision and an appeals officer also decided that he had failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit.
He made a further claim for unemployment assistance on 17 August 1989. Following a reinvestigation of his circumstances a deciding officer again decided that he had failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit. To date, he has not appealed against this decision. The basis of the decisions has been the failure of the person in question to disclose means from self-employment which he is believed to engage in.
Determination of entitlement to supplementary welfare allowance in this case is a matter for the Eastern Health Board. The community welfare officer dealing with the case cannot be contacted at present but as soon as he is available the position regarding the payment of supplementary welfare allowance will be clarified. If this has any bearing on the payment of unemployment assistance in this case, the person's entitlement will be reviewed and he will be notified of the outcome.