asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny.

The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 13 January 1981 and has been paid all benefit due from 17 January, fourth day of incapacity, to 16 February. He was certified fit to resume work on 17 February.

As the second and third medical certificates, dated 20 and 27 January 1981, bore only his insurance number, some delay occurred before they were associated with his first certificate which had been recorded under his RSI number. He is not entitled to pay-related benefit.

Is the Minister aware that I have tried every means to get the information to help these people and that his statement that I am only doing this for political purposes is completely false? Is the Minister aware that I have been in the House close to 20 years and that this is the first time that I had to resort to this method of doing my normal duties on behalf of my constituents?

Most of the Deputies seem to have been able to solve the problem by approaching my office and requesting clarification of cases, providing the social insurance and other numbers. When anyone does that I am glad to give whatever assistance I can.

I have made it quite clear that this method of doing it is the last method I would want to resort to.

A question, Deputy.

I want to make the Minister aware of this because he made a charge against me and others.

We cannot have a debate on this.

I want the Minister to be aware that every other method available to me as a public representative has been tried on behalf of these people.

In his reply the Minister stated that Deputy Pattison seemed to be unique in having difficulties and that other Deputies managed to get satisfactory answers. Will the Minister accept an assurance from me that in my experience never has it been so difficult not just to get satisfactory answers but, more important, to get the very means of subsistence for thousands of people who have to queue outside the Minister's offices? What will the Minister do about it immediately and how soon will these people get what they are entitled to?

I have cut the red tape anywhere I can——

Why are they queuing?

——to facilitate the situation. I assure Deputies that we are past the peak of this transition and that we will be out of it quite shortly.

Will the Minister accept that for those who are expected to live on the sum of £25 a week, because of the inability of the Department to pay them what is due to them the words "past the peak" mean nothing? Would the Minister agree that in these circumstances, so long as the Department are incapable of carrying out their duty to keep people above the starvation line, he should give instructions that supplementary benefit be paid at an adequate rate temporarily to deal with the problem?

I have given these instructions.

Would the Minister give the details? At what rate is the money being paid? I am not convinced by what I have heard that it is being paid.

It is not being paid.

I will pursue the matter further. The problem arises in associating such payments subsequently with the benefits which were due; in other words, it is a question of eligibility. We have a number of problems.

What instruction has the Minister given as regards payment in these cases?

Certain deductions are made from payments and I have taken that matter up with the health boards to ensure that an adequate sum will be paid to those who require it and that the question of making deductions initially will not be raised.

That is not the point of the question.

One may have other benefits coming to one and these are taken against the benefit which is given as supplementary income. I have asked that this position be set aside for the time being.

The Minister said that Deputy Pattison was——

I was responding to Deputy Mitchell at that time.