Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 May 2022
90. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the circumstances in which recipients of social welfare protections payments can have their payments suspended without prior notice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24644/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPayments are only suspended where there is a valid reason for doing so. This can include circumstances such as a failure by a person to sign a declaration of unemployment or to reply to a request from my Department for information in order to progress a claim review or investigation.
Under the principles of natural justice where a person may be adversely affected by a determination to suspend their payment, the Department will generally seek to contact the individual and provide them with an opportunity to address the issue that gave rise to the determination or to comment on any evidence or facts used in making such a determination. In such situations they are advised in writing that their payment may be suspended or subsequently disallowed by way of statutory decision. In some cases, where a number of weeks of payments have not been collected at the designated post office a payment might be suspended without advance warning.
If the Deputy has some specific examples of where people claim that their payment was suspended unfairly without due notice I would ask him to bring them to my attention and I will arrange to look into the cases further.
