Vol. 496 No. 3
354 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the delay by his Department in submitting documentation to the social welfare appeals office in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; and if he will ensure that this situation is rectified and the relevant information submitted to allow the appeal to be determined. [22944/98]
The person concerned is appealing the decision by the Department to disallow her claim for deserted wife's benefit. Her claim was disallowed in 1994 on the basis that she had an insufficient social insurance contribution record in the relevant period up to the date in 1974 she was deemed to have been deserted. The basis of her appeal, which was lodged in June 1998, is that the effective date of desertion should be June 1987.
There was a delay in forwarding the necessary documentation to the social welfare appeals office for consideration. The delay arose due to a significant increase in the number of claims from deserted wives and lone parents. The documentation has now been forwarded and new arrangements have been put in place to reduce the time lag which arises in this connection.
