John Ellis
Ceist:74 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his Department will pay arrears of unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Sligo.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefit.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit for the periods 13 July 1988 to 18 October 1989. She claimed disability benefit from 26 October 1989 to 18 November. She again claimed unemployment benefit from 22 November.
The person concerned works two nights each week. She was therefore only paid for four days a week on the first unemployment benefit claim. On the second claim the regulations governing her situation were not properly applied up to 27 June 1990.
Under regulations governing night workers, night work which begins on a Saturday and finishes on a Sunday is reckoned as occurring on the Saturday and therefore it is treated as a day of employment affecting entitlement to unemployment benefit. In this case one of the two nights of employment is a Saturday every second week.
During a review of claims of this nature, the error was found and has been corrected. As a result the person concerned is now receiving her correct weekly entitlement of four days benefit each week; previously she was receiving five days benefit in every second week; that is, she was paid incorrectly in respect of the Saturday nights. There are no arrears of benefit due to her.
As the error arose through a misinterpretation of the regulations, the amount overpaid will not have to be repaid to my Department.