Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:92 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit is payable to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare.
Written Answers - Social Welfare Benefits.
There is no trace of a claim to disability benefit from the person concerned.
To qualify for disability benefit a claimant is required to have at least 39 reckonable contributions paid since entry into insurance in addition to having 39 contributions of the appropriate class paid or credited in the governing contribution year. Claims to benefit made in 1991 are governed by the 1989/90 contribution year.
The Department's records indicate that the contribution record of the person in question consists solely of 52 self-employment contributions recorded in the year 1988-89.
Self-employment contributions are not reckonable for short term benefits such as disability benefit. They are reckonable for old age contributory pension and widow's and orphan's pensions only.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:93 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange for a review of a person's application for unemployment benefit/assistance by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 to be undertaken given that he feels the appeal procedure was no more than a review carried out by the same office and in view of the fact that he paid full social welfare contributions from 1945 to 1982; and, in the event of an unsuccessful appeal if all contributions will be refunded to this person.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 6 December 1990 on his return from England. His means, derived from the benefit of his wife's income, were assessed at £94.40 per week.
The means assessed were halved to £47.20 per week as he was not entitled to an adult dependant increase for his wife who has earnings over the dependency limit of £55 per week. As this means assessment exceeded the maximum weekly rate of £45 payable in his case he was not entitled to any payment of unemployment assistance.
He appealed his means assessment to the independent social welfare appeals office. After further inquiries an appeals officer confirmed the means assessment at £94.40 per week from 6 December 1990.
On the basis that his employment between the years of 1945 and 1982 was properly insurable at the class A rate, he is not entitled to the refund of insurance contributions. The contributions he has paid will be of value to him for retirement and old age pension purposes.