asked the Minister for Social Welfare is she is aware that Irish taxpayers who are employed on British owned cross-channel boats experience delays when they apply for disability benefit to the British Department of Health and Social Security; and, if so, if she will make arrangements for such benefits to be paid by her Department in the first instance subject to recoupment by her Department of the money from the British authorities.

In accordance with EEC regulations persons employed on British-owned cross-Channel vessels are insured under the British National Insurance Acts and the British Department of Health and Social Security are liable for the payment of disability benefit to such persons. This arrangement appears to have been working satisfactorily, apart from a few months recently when, on account of industrial action by certain members of the staff of the British Ministry, some delay in payment may have occurred.

Arrangements of the kind envisaged by the Deputy would not be helpful and would delay rather than expedite payments. It would be necessary in the first instance to communicate with the British authorities so that they could decide whether the claimant on the basis of his British insurance record would be qualified for benefit. Difficulties of a practical nature would be such that the effect as compared with existing arrangements would be to the disadvantage rather than to the advantage of claimants.

Is the Minister aware that between 50 and 60 employees of Sealink who operate the ferry service from Rosslare to Fishguard are experiencing delays of up to four months in the payment of disability benefit? Would the Minister be prepared to ask her officials to reconsider the matter, especially since these people are not likely to seek supplementary welfare payments, with a view to providing the same system as for other Irish contributors to social insurance so as to allow for immediate payments and bearing in mind that in similar circumstances in Britain people are paid within a week of sending in their certificates?

The Department have considered this matter closely and they believe that the kind of delays being experienced by the workers concerned are temporary and arise out of the dispute. My Department are satisfied that to bring about the changes suggested here would only cause further delays because the insurance records would be available only to the British authorities.

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