Vol. 411 No. 7
139 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reasons a person employed on a three day week is entitled to claim unemployment benefit, including pay-related unemployment benefit, for three days per week while a person who is put on short-time working of three days per week is only entitled to claim basic social welfare benefits for two days per week.
Short-time working usually takes the form of a short working week i.e. employees working either two or three days a week on a systematic basis for usually pre-determined periods of time. The incidence of this type of working arrangement increased dramatically during the eighties.
140 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on whether it is reasonable that a person (details supplied) in County Cork should be cut off disability benefit especially in view of the long process which had to be gone through in his previous appeal and the inconvenience caused to him at the time as set out in Parliamentary Questions Nos. 99 and 100 dated 14 May 1991; if he will now intercede personally in order to ensure that this person is no longer inconvenienced; if he will reassure both Deputy Bernard Allen and the person in question that he is not being treated unfairly because of the complaints made by Deputy Allen in May 1991.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from March 1989. In July 1990, payment was disallowed following examination by a medical referee. Subsequently there were further medical examinations, including an independent medical consultant examination which was arranged by the independent social welfare appeals office at the request of the chief appeals officer.
On receipt of the consultant's report, an appeals officer's decision, made in November 1990, which confirmed the original disallowance, was reversed. Both appeals hearings were oral, that is, the person was given the opportunity to state his case directly to the appeals officer.
The new appeals decision meant that benefit was restored with effect from July 1990.
Following the favourable outcome of the second appeal, the person concerned applied for invalidity pension. The Deputy made representations in support of this application. I wish to make it absolutely clear that the Deputy's representations did not adversely influence the subsequent course of events. The person concerned was called for a medical examination in connection with the invalidity pension application. A new aspect had to be considered, viz was the person likely to remain permanently incapable of work.
The medical referee indicated that the person concerned was not likely to remain incapable of work. His findings also indicated that the person was, in his opinion, fit for work. It was believed by the deciding officer that the medical examination, which occurred some time after the appeals hearing, should take precedence over the ruling in May.
Following receipt of the Deputy's question I have had the case re-examined. An appeals officer will be asked to review the latest findings to assess whether he might wish to revise his findings made in May of this year. I am glad to say that in the interim benefit will be restored.
141 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant an increase in disablement pension to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford in view of the fact that he has submitted new medical evidence of his increased disability.
The person concerned is in receipt of disablement benefit under the occupational injuries scheme since 4 October 1968 in respect of an accident at work. He is being paid disablement benefit at present at the rate appropriate to an assessment of 30 per cent disablement.
Under the conditions of the scheme an assessment of disablement may only be reviewed in the light of medical evidence indicating a deterioration in the medical condition of the claimant resulting from the accident.
In this connection, medical evidence was received recently from the claimant. The evidence was considered but it was not considered to warrant a review of the decision awarding benefit at the rate of 30 per cent.
The person concerned is also in receipt of old age contributory pension.
142 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of pensioners living alone in County Westmeath who are in receipt of the old age or widows non-contributory pensions at the full rate.
There are currently 2,440 people in receipt of an old age non-contributory pension and 490 people in receipt of a widow's non-contributory pension in County Westmeath.
Information is not kept in a manner which permits the number living alone and in receipt of a full rate pension to be established on a county basis. However, it is estimated that nationally some 22 per cent of old age non-contributory pension and 33 per cent of widow's non-contributory pension recipients live alone. Additionally, some 68 per cent of all old age non-contributory pension and 65 per cent of all widow's non-contributory pension recipients are in receipt of their pension at the full rate.
