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

The person concerned claimed occupational injury benefit from 10 April 1981 in respect of an accident at work on 9 April 1981. Pending the out-come of inquiries regarding the nature and origin of his injury, he is being paid disability benefit on an interim basis. Benefit issues on receipt of medical evidence and all payment due to 18 July 1981 has been made.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of pay-related benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford.

As the revenue social insurance number of the person concerned was incorrectly quoted, additional inquiries were necessary to establish his reckonable earnings during the income tax year governing his entitlement to pay-related benefit. These inquiries have been completed and payment of pay-related benefit has been authorised. The person concerned has been written to and informed that all arrears due will be paid to him at the local office at Dungarvan.

5.

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

The person concerned is a postal claimant and an order paying his unemployment benefit issues to him each week for encashment at his local post office. There has been no delay in the payment of unemployment benefit in his case. I might mention that the claimant did complain about the rate of unemployment benefit being paid to him. The position was explained to him and he was told that he did not satisfy the statutory contribution condition for payment of unemployment benefit at the maximum rate.

I appreciate that the Minister of State is giving the best information available to her, but I would like to ask a supplementary question in general terms. Is it a fact that no payments are being made at this time and no benefits in kind being paid from the Department? My information is that this is the case. This is just a direct question and I would like a direct answer to it, please. Are repayments being made at the moment?

Yes, quite a number of payments were made yesterday. I would like the Deputy to wait until after the next question to ask his direct question. A high percentage of the claims are not affected at present by the dispute. The new claims and certain claims which involve various telephone queries are affected, but quite a number of claims are still being paid.

That answer seems contradictory to information I received this morning that no payments at all are taking place at present.

Could we wait until Question No.6? Unless it is relevant to this question, I would prefer if we waited until Question No.6.

A Government back-bencher has put down questions and so many of them in regard to County Waterford in particular. Are the problems in Waterford greater than in any other area in the country?

I do not have that information available.