asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will explain the considerable delays in his Department in relation to the payment of maternity benefit claims; the number of files which are missing and the claims which have not been paid; if the cause has any relative effects on the delay in the payment of disability benefits and unemployment benefits, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

27.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of maternity benefit applications received by his Department between 1 October and 31 December 1980; and the number of such claims still unpaid.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Question Nos. 26 and 27 together.

I do not accept that the position concerning the administration of the scheme of maternity benefit in my Department, as stated by the Deputy, is accurate. None of the files relating to claims for maternity benefit is missing. If for any reason such a file was not available alternative arrangements would be made for payment.

The maternity benefits provided by my Department consist of a weekly maternity allowance payable on a woman's own insurance for a period of 12 weeks, 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after confinement and maternity grants of £8 payable on the insurances of both husband and wife. Payment of maternity allowance to women who have the necessary qualifying contributions is made promptly in all cases provided the necessary claim form is fully and correctly completed and is received in my Department from one to two weeks in advance of the date of commencement of entitlement. Since the beginning of January, however, some delays in payment have occurred mainly because claimants have not quoted both their Revenue and Social Welfare Insurance numbers on claim forms submitted to my Department despite an extensive press and television advertisement campaign in December and January requesting them to do so.

The new maternity allowance scheme for women in employment, for which provision is being made in the Social Welfare (Amendment) Bill, should considerably improve the situation in regard to prompt payment as the claim form will provide for a certificate to be completed in advance by employers in all cases of women on approved maternity leave.

If the Deputy is aware of any cases in which he considers that claimants are experiencing hardship through delay in payment I will arrange to have the cases investigated and payment of benefit issued as quickly as possible.

The number of claims for maternity benefit received in my Department between 1 October and 31 December 1980 was 12,311. Decisions have issued in all these claims with the exception of 390 cases in which further inquiries have been necessary before entitlement can be determined.

Could I have an assurance from the Minister then that the files that were missing have now been found?

Pardon?

Can I have an assurance from the Minister that the files which have been mislaid or misplaced have been found again?

I can give the Deputy the assurance that there are no files missing currently.

So they have been found again.

At the present day I can tell the Deputy that that is the position.

Somebody is telling me different stories from those being told to the Minister. When I contact the Minister's Department with regard to maternity grants I am told that there are files missing. Is that true or false?

The reply is as I have stated, that none of the files relating to claims for maternity benefit is missing.

None?

Not one.

Would the Minister answer the second part of my question, whether the delay reflects in any way the general delay in the payment of sickness and unemployment benefit?

Does it reflect the others?

The delay.

No, they are completely separate sections.