Vol. 467 No. 3
23 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether he has completed his review of the entitlement of social welfare recipients to retrospective payments of their social welfare payments, contributory pensions or otherwise, back to the date of entitlement rather than date of applications; if he will publish the findings of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12927/96]
48 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the concern expressed by the Ombudsman that arrears of contributory social welfare payments are not paid from the date of eligibility; and the steps, if any, he proposes to take to rectify the situation. [13052/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 48 together. I am aware of the comments made by the Ombudsman in his recently published 1995 Annual Report, relating to the existing provisions for the payment of arrears of social welfare payments on foot of late claims. As I indicated in replies to previous parliamentary questions, my Department has been reviewing the provisions which limit the period in respect of which arrears are payable to six months. The work undertaken to date indicates that if there were no restrictions on the payment of arrears in the case of retirement pension, old age (contributory) pension and widow's and widower's (contributory) pension, the cost would be in the region of £5.7 million. Any relaxation in the present arrangements would have to be considered, therefore, in the light of other priorities.
