Michael Joe Cosgrave
Ceist:156 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a free fuel allowance will be granted to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The person concerned is not entitled to a free fuel allowance because he is already receiving low cost heating under a local authority scheme. An arrangement whereby certain persons in equivalent circumstances are paid an allowance on a transitional basis does not apply in his case as he was not receiving a fuel allowance when the scheme was restructured and extended generally in the 1986-87 year.
He was paid allowances for the 1988-89 and 1989-90 years due to an error which arose when he moved from one employment exchange to another some years ago.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:157 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will restore unemployment assistance to a family (details supplied) in Dublin 12 who have no income and who have been without assistance for the past two weeks.
Following investigation, the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed from 17 November 1990 on the grounds that he failed to show that his means did not exceed the statutory limit.
He has appealed the decision and the social welfare officer has been asked to visit him so that he will have a further opportunity to disclose his means fully before his appeal is decided.
Willie O'Dea
Ceist:158 Mr. O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Limerick is entitled to occupational injuries benefit; and if he will examine her claim in view of the advice she received from his Department.
The person concerned claimed injury benefit under the occupational injuries scheme on 25 April 1990 in respect of an alleged accident at work on 27 May 1988.
She was considered for disability benefit but did not have any qualifying contributions in the governing contribution year, 1988-89 in this case. Following certain essential inquiries credited contributions were awarded from May 1988. On that basis her entitlement to disability benefit from 25 April 1990 to 17 August 1990 has been established and arrears of disability benefit will issue to her within a few days.
The inquiries also established that an occupational accident, within the meaning of the scheme, did occur in 1988 and she was informed formally of the declaration in this regard in July 1990. If she is suffering from any ongoing loss of faculty as a result of the accident, she may be entitled to disablement benefit. A claim form and explanatory leaflet is being issued to her.
In the interim, certain additional inquiries are still underway and when these are completed the possibility of backdating her claim will be further considered.
Michael Joe Cosgrave
Ceist:159 Mr. Cosgrave asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the fact that some pensioners are not receiving the free fuel allowance; the criteria being used to qualify people for the allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
In general, I am satisfied that all pensioners qualified for a weekly fuel allowance receive their due entitlement automatically and in good time. Pensioners who qualified for fuel allowance in the last winter season have received an allowance automatically as part of their normal weekly payment at the start of this season, unless their circumstances have changed in the meantime.
The entitlement of new claimants to fuel allowance is generally decided and paid quickly. I have taken various measures to streamline the processes in recent years. These measures include incorporating the fuel supplement into the pension book which means that one transaction only is required to obtain the full set of entitlements. A small number of persons who were accustomed to receiving a separate fuel payment in previous years queried their position last year and this year. However, the incidence of inquiries is dropping and the overall position is that clients in general find the new arrangements much easier to manage.
To qualify for a weekly fuel allowance pensioners must satisfy the following conditions: (A) be in receipt of one of the following payments: Old Age Pension (Contributory or Non Contributory), Retirement Pension, Widow's Contributory or non-contributory Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit or Allowance, Lone Parent's Allowance, Prisoners' Wives' Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Single Women's Allowance, Long-term Unemployment Assistance (including smallholders), Pre-Retirement Allowance, Disabled Person's Maintenance Allowance, Infectious Diseases Maintenance Allowance, Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Special Department of Defence Allowance, Equivalent social security Pensions from other EC Member States, Austria and Canada. (B) be living alone or only with certain specified dependants, and (C) be unable to provide for his/her own heating needs, either by having other assessed means in excess of £5 a week or by having access to his or her own fuel supply or certain other subsidised heating provided by Local Authorities.
The fuel allowance scheme and its administration are kept under constant review.
More than 154,000 pensioners (that is 36 per cent) benefit from this important scheme each year. In addition, some 50,000 persons on unemployment assistance receive the allowance and health boards make payments to another 7,100 persons.
The scheme will cost £35 million for the 1990-91 season (including £7.1 million to meet the cost of smog fuel allowance). It complements the free electricity and gas schemes which are available throughout the year at a cost of £22 million and the various local authority schemes for subsidised heating in local authority houses.
Frank Crowley
Ceist:161 Mr. Crowley asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether a person (details supplied) in County Cork is eligible for a free fuel allowance.
The person concerned is in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance from the Southern Health Board and I have been informed by the board that his application for a fuel allowance has been approved.
Austin Deasy
Ceist:162 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 15 November 1990. Inquiries are being made to ascertain the reason he left his employment and his claim will be determined when these are completed.
Dinny McGinley
Ceist:163 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Social Welfare the present position regarding an application for unemployment assistance by a person (details supplied) in County Donegal.
The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit on 9 October 1990. He is currently attending an educational establishment in the North of Ireland. I have had the circumstances reviewed and it has been decided that the claim can be fully admitted. Payment, including arrears due, will commence next week.
John Ellis
Ceist:164 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will restore invalidity pension to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim.
Invalidity pension which was paid to the person in question was disallowed from 9 July 1988 as he was found to be concurrently working and claiming.
The person in question appealed against the disallowance and his case was referred to an appeals officer of my Department. An appeals officer upheld the deciding officer's decision at an oral hearing on 28 May 1990.
An appeals officer's decision is final and conclusive in the absence of new facts or fresh evidence. If the person concerned is currently unemployed and incapable of work he should apply to my Department for disability benefit.
John Browne
Ceist:165 Mr. Browne (Wexford) asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a pre-retirement pension has been withdrawn from a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if he will arrange to have payment restored immediately as this person has no other source of income.
The person concerned applied for a pre-retirement allowance on 20 February 1990. On the basis of information supplied by him to a social welfare officer at that time, an allowance was awarded at the rate of £84.50 per week with effect from 8 March 1990. This rate included an increase for the claimant's spouse and one dependent child.
Following reinvestigation by the social welfare officer conducted in August and September, it was decided to disallow the pre-retirement allowance as there are grounds for believing that means have not been fully disclosed by the person concerned. However, if he is prepared to make a full disclosure of his means to the social welfare officer, his case will be reassessed immediately and a revised decision made if warranted.
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:166 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline the conditions whereby an unemployed person can continue their education in second level; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
A person must be aged 21 years, or over and be in receipt of unemployment assistance at the long-term rate to qualify for payment of unemployment assistance while undergoing a full-time course in education at second level. Persons intending to avail of the scheme should consult with their employment office at the early stages of making their plans.
In addition to the scheme for full-time second level education opportunities for the unemployed, I have introduced three other schemes as follows: the vocational training opportunity scheme which enables certain unemployed persons to follow a full-time education and training course and receive an allowance equivalent to their weekly rate of unemployment assistance; and the vocational preparation and training programme which enables certain unemployed persons to attend full-time education courses in the VECs in the Dublin area while continuing to receive a special allowance equivalent to their unemployment assistance payment.
Provision can also be made in appropriate cases for persons engaging in part-time education. The circumstances vary considerably from case to case. I have ensured however that each case is dealt with sympathetically.
These recent initiatives provide a range of real and new options for those unemployed persons who set out to improve their job prospects and I keep their effectiveness under review.
Tony Gregory
Ceist:167 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7, who is on unemployment assistance and has several schoolgoing children was refused a supplementary welfare allowance for school clothes for his children; if he will review this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The question of entitlement to assistance under the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance scheme which is administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is a matter for determination by the health board. It is understood from the Eastern Health Board, which is responsible for the administration of the scheme in Dublin, that an application under the scheme from the person concerned, who is in receipt of long term unemployment assistance and whose wife is in employment, was refused on grounds of means.