Vol. 434 No. 2
150 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the exceptional needs and circumstances of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 13, payments for large household bills should be made by the Community Welfare Officer at Kilbarrack Health Centre to this family.
Under the provisions of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, the determination of applications for assistance is a matter for each health board.
It is understood from the Eastern Health Board, which is responsible for the administration of the scheme in the Dublin area, that exceptional needs payments totalling £380 were made to the person in question in December 1992 including £100 in respect of electricity bills.
The person applied for further assistance with her electricity bills in mid-1993. However, the application was refused as her case was considered not to be exceptional. The Eastern Health Board has advised that an appeal has not been received.
151 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the severe disablement of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17, he will grant a free telephone rental allowance to this person.
To be eligible for a free telephone rental allowance, a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department or a health board. In addition, he must reside either entirely alone or only with certain excepted categories of people. These excepted categories mainly comprise any children under 15 years of age and/or other people in the household who are so permanently incapacitated as to be unable to summon help in an emergency.
152 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare if disability benefit, unemployment benefit or other benefit is payable to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has not had any PRSI contributions which are reckonable for disability benefit or unemployment benefit since 1984-85. Accordingly, he is not qualified for these benefits. He is not entitled to invalidity pension for essentially the same reasons and he was notified of this in July 1993.
He paid Self-Employment PRSI contributions for the year 1988-89 but has not paid contributions since that time. In any event, self-employment contributions do not confer entitlement to short term benefits or to invalidity pension. There are no other insurance based benefits that he could be entitled to at present.
If he is capable of work he may be entitled to unemployment assistance if his income from self-employment is below the statutory level for a person in his circumstances.
The wife of the person concerned is however, currently receiving supplementary welfare allowance amounting to £129.50 per week from her local health board which includes an allowance in respect of him. I understand also that the health board is examining his possible entitlement to disabled persons maintenance allowance.
153 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
156 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been disallowed unemployment assistance; whether he qualifies for unemployment benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
159 Mr. Durkan 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 with reference also to his eligibility for unemployment benefit.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 153, 156 and 159 together.
The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance to 6 July 1993 on the basis that his means, as assessed under the Social Welfare Acts, were nil.
Following a review the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned payment was disallowed on the grounds that he had failed to satisfy the deciding officer that he had disclosed his means fully, as required under the Social Welfare Acts, and that he did not have some other source or sources of income. He had the right of appeal against this decision. A form for this purpose was issued to him on 7 July 1993 but it was not returned.
154 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been deemed 40 per cent incapable of work in respect of a claim for disablement benefit in view of the fact that his surgeon confirms that he is at least 90 per cent incapable of work and in fact cannot ever return to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The person concerned is in receipt of disablement benefit under the occupational injuries scheme since 14 July 1989. He is also in receipt of invalidity pension at the rate of £143.50 a week.
Disablement benefit is payable in respect of the claimant's assessed loss of faculty, either physical and mental, resulting from an accident at work or a prescribed occupational disease. Disablement benefit is assessed in accordance with detailed rules set out in legislation. The rate of benefit in each case is determined following an examination by a medical referee. In reaching a finding, the medical referee has regard to permanent loss of faculty or disfigurement by reference to the normal standard for a healthy person of the same age and sex. A person could be deemed capable of work and still receive disablement benefit. Conversely, a person might not be severely disabled in a permanent sense but could be unfit for work. For example, a broken arm might not result in any permanent disablement but would typically render the person incapable of work until it had healed.
155 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the result of an appeal against disablement decision in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be given; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
157 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he has satisfied himself that a person (details supplied) in County Kildare, who has been deemed 40 per cent disabled, is being treated fairly in respect of disablement benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 155 and 157 together.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disablement pension since 1985. Her rate of payment has varied over the years. She is currently being paid at the rate appropriate to an assessment of 35 per cent, rounded to 40 per cent for payment purposes.
