asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she is aware that considerable hardship is being caused to recipients of disability benefit because they are not notified in time as to when their eligibility will cease and because the health boards are not prepared to make retrospective payments of supplementary social welfare benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

It is the practice of my Department to notify in advance recipients of disability benefit that payment is about to be terminated when for any reason entitlement ceases. Where, however, payment of benefit is disallowed following examination by a medical referee, who expresses the opinion that the claimant is capable of work, payment is disallowed from the date of examination or from the date of last payment, whichever is the later. In such cases the claimant is advised, if available for employment, to make application immediately to the local employment exchange for unemployment benefit or assistance. Provided he does so without undue delay the application is usually back-dated to the date of the disallowance of disability benefit.

Does the Minister accept that in practice this is not happening? Where there are people in receipt of sick benefit and where payments have been stopped because they might not have sufficient contributions, in practice the Department may notify them several weeks afterwards. The position then is that the persons involved have to await payments and if they do not get them they have to go to their public representatives. Does the Minister agree this is not a good practice, because the health boards will not make retrospective payments and consequently a period of up to seven weeks may elapse during which those people are without income.

If the Deputy has specific cases in mind he should report them for examination. Claimants whose entitlements to benefits have terminated are notified of termination of entitlements three to four weeks in advance. When they move into a further year when their contributions are not sufficient to cover them for benefit they are notified three to four weeks beforehand. Such persons who are without means can make application for supplementary benefits. I repeat that if the Deputy has specific cases in mind he should have them submitted for examination.

On a point of order, would the illustrious Deputy from Galway who is responsible for the following 37 questions consider taking up that offer of the Minister of State and arrange a little tête-á-tête with her so that these matters can be dealt with without wasting the time of the House—

This is not a point of order. Question No. 19.

Are these questions down because the Deputy from Galway is not getting a proper service from the Department?

19.