asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason pro rata old age contributory pensions have not yet been paid; and if he will ensure that the applications are processed and the pensions are paid before Christmas.

To date approximately 430 applications have been received for the new pro rata contributory pension. Approximately 100 of these have already been awarded and are in payment. The insurance records are being assessed and further information is being requested where necessary in the remainder of the cases. They are being dealt with as quickly as possible. There is no question, however, of people losing out as, where qualified, pensions will be paid with effect from 14 October 1988.

An advertising campaign has recently been launched to publicise the new scheme. It is expected that there will be a further considerable number of applications in response to this campaign. People have been advised that it may take some time to process all of these applications.

131.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has been refused a free fuel allowance, despite the fact that he shares a house with two people who are not relatives and he is responsible for his own heating, cooking and rent; and if he will instruct managers of labour exchanges that persons in this situation should be given free fuel vouchers.

To qualify for a fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme, a person in receipt of the long term rate of unemployment assistance must, among other things, live alone or with qualified dependants only.

The person concerned is not entitled to a fuel allowance as he resides with persons who are not his qualified dependants and he does not, therefore, satisfy the "living alone" conditions of the scheme.

The national fuel scheme with uniform criteria throughout the whole country was introduced last year and at the same time the scheme was extended to include 30,000 long term unemployed who were previously excluded. A further extension of the scheme to give entitlement to applicants who reside with persons other than qualified dependants would have major cost implications.

132.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give a breakdown of all payments under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme indicating (i) the various categories of payment (ii) the number of claimants in each category and (iii) the cost of each category; and if he will give an outline of the manner in which the scheme is administered.

The supplementary welfare allowances scheme is administered by the health boards under the general direction and control of my Department. Any function with respect to the determination of the entitlement of any person to an allowance is statutorily a function of the chief executive officer of the health board and this function is in turn delegated in accordance with the Health Acts to the community welfare officers and superintendent community welfare officers throughout the country who look after the day to day administration of the scheme. Appeals against their decisions are dealt with in most cases by the programme managers of the boards. All decisions are made in accordance with the provisions contained in the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1981, and the Social Welfare (Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations, 1987, as amended.

The health boards provide my Department with monthly returns of expenditure and quarterly returns on the numbers of recipients under certain headings. The information derived from these returns is set out in the following table:

(a) Represents net expenditure on basic payments after allowance is made for refunds of SWA paid on an interim basis.

133.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Cork who is in receipt of an invalidity pension has been refused a free fuel allowance this year for the first time; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The national fuel scheme applies to persons in receipt of long term social welfare or health board payments who live alone or only with persons of certain categories.

The person concerned has been in receipt of invalidity pension since 5 November 1987. He did qualify for a fuel allowance from the Southern Health Board last year. His son, who lives with him, ceased to be a qualified dependant of the pensioner on reaching 18 years of age before the heating season began. Accordingly the pensioner is not eligible for a fuel allowance this year.

134.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total number of contributions made by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 who was a CIÉ employee and was promoted to the position of supervisor, who as a consequence of his promotion went out of the social insurance net, and who as a consequence of that has foregone his entitlement to an old age contributory pension even though other categories in the social insurance net with fewer contributions paid than he are now entitled to an old age contributory pension; if, in the circumstances, he will give at least a reduced contributory pension to this person based on the average number of contributions made by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Entitlement to contributory old age pension is dependent on a person reaching age 66 and satisfying the statutory contribution conditions. The person concerned reached age 66 on 24 May 1988. He applied for an old age contributory pension but failed to qualify because he did not satisfy the qualifying condition, which required him to have a yearly average of 20 reckonable contributions. The Department's records show that he had a total of 297 reckonable contributions in the period January 1953 to 5 April 1988, which is equivalent to a yearly average of 8 contributions.

Arrangements were made in the Social Welfare Act, 1988, for the payment of pro rata pensions in order to redress an anomaly which affected a specified group of insured persons.

These persons had been excluded from compulsory social insurance cover for periods prior to 1974 by reason of the upper earnings limit which then applied. They were brought back into compulsory insurance in 1974, when that limit was abolished but subsequently failed to qualify for contributory pension because of the gaps in their insurance records prior to 1974.

This arrangement does not cover the situation of persons with mixed insurance records, i.e. partly at the full contribution rate and partly at a modified contribution rate which did not include an element of contribution in respect of contributory old age pension. The National Pensions Board will be considering this issue specifically and reporting to me in the context of its examination of social insurance pension arrangements.

135.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total number of contributions made by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 who was a CIÉ employee and was promoted to the position of supervisor who as a consequence of his promotion went out of the social insurance net, and who as a consequence of that, has foregone his entitlement to an old age contributory pension even though other categories in the social insurance net with fewer contributions paid than he are now entitled to an old age contributory pension; if, in the circumstances, he will give at least a reduced contributory pension to this person based on the average number of contributions made by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Entitlement to contributory old age pension is dependent on a person reaching age 66 and satisfying the statutory contribution conditions. The person concerned reached age 66 on 23 August 1988. He applied for an old age contributory pension but he failed to qualify because he did not satisfy the qualifying condition, which required him to have a yearly average of 20 reckonable contributions. The Department's records show that he had a total of 651 reckonable contributions in the period January 1953 to 5 April 1988, which is equivalent to a yearly average of 18 contributions.

Arrangements were made in the Social Welfare Act, 1988, for the payment of pro rata pensions in order to redress an anomaly which affected a specified group of insured persons.

These persons had been excluded from compulsory social insurance cover for periods prior to 1974 by reason of the upper earnings limit which then applied. The were brought back into compulsory insurance in 1974, when that limit was abolished but subsequently failed to qualify for contributory pension because of the gaps in their insurance records prior to 1974.

This arrangement does not cover the situation of persons with mixed insurance records, i.e. partly at the full contribution rate and partly at a modified contribution rate which did not include an element of contribution in respect of contributory old age pension. The National Pensions Board will be considering this issue specifically and reporting to me in the context of its examination of social insurance pension arrangements.

136.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total number of contributions made by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 who was a CIÉ employee and was promoted to the position of supervisor who as a consequence of his promotion went out of the social insurance net, and who as a consequence of that has foregone his entitlement to an old age contributory pension even though other categories in the social insurance net with fewer contributions paid than he are now entitled to an old age contributory pension; if, in the circumstances, he will give at least a reduced contributory pension to this person based on the average number of contributions made by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Entitlement to contributory old age pension is dependent on a person reaching age 66 and satisfying the statutory contribution conditions. The person concerned reached age 66 on 5 January 1988. He applied for an old age contributory pension but he failed to qualify because he did not satisfy the qualifying condition, which required him to have a yearly average of 20 reckonable contributions. The Department's records show that he had a total of 372 reckonable contributions in the period January 1953 to 5 April 1987, which is equivalent to a yearly average of 10 contributions.

Arrangements were made in the Social Welfare Act, 1988 for the payment of pro rata pensions in order to redress an anomaly which affected a specified group of insured persons.

These persons had been excluded from compulsory social insurance cover for periods prior to 1974 by reason of the upper earnings limit which then applied. They were brought back into compulsory insurance in 1974, when that limit was abolished but subsequently failed to qualify for contributory pension because of the gaps in their insurance records prior to 1974.

This arrangement does not cover the situation of persons with mixed insurance records, i.e. partly at the full contribution rate and partly at a modified contribution rate which did not include an element of contribution in respect of contributory old age pension. The National Pensions Board will be considering this issue specifically and reporting to me in the context of its examination of social insurance pension arrangements.

137.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive a decision on her appeal against the deciding officer's decision that her means are £43.53 per week.

Following investigation the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned was disallowed on the grounds that her means derived from the value of board and lodgings on her brother's holding exceeded the maximum rate payable in her case.

On 25 November 1988, she appealed against the amount of means assessed against her and arising from contentions raised by her in support of her appeal, her papers have been returned to the social welfare officer for further inquiries.

These inquiries will be completed as soon as possible and her case will then be submitted to an appeals officer for determination at the earliest available opportunity.

The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of the appeal.

138.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the refusal by his Department to accept the genuine medical evidence submitted in connection with a disability benefit claim made by a person (details supplied) in County Mayo.

The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 29 June 1987 and payment was issued to 19 May 1988.

Payment was disallowed from 20 May 1988 following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work.

He appealed against the disallowance and was examined by a different medical referee who also expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. His case was then referred to an appeals officer who upheld the decision to disallow payment of disability benefit from 20 May 1988. The decision of the appeals officer is final and can only be altered in the light of new facts or fresh evidence and in this connection, the doctor's letter submitted in connection with the person concerned's claim did not constitute new medical evidence.

139.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be restored to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry and the reason he is not in receipt of continued payment of benefit.

Payment of disability benefit to the person concerned was disallowed from 23 November 1988 following examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work.

He appealed against the disallowance and arrangements are being made to have him examined by a different medical referee. His entitlement to further payment of disability benefit will be reviewed in the light of the medical referee's report following this examination.

140.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17 who signed for unemployment assistance on 30 November 1988 after having been successfully treated for cancer was deemed ineligible; the criteria his Department is using to deem the applicant's eligibility for the Christmas bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The person concerned made an application for unemployment assistance on 30 November 1988. Her claim was allowed and she qualified for payment at the maximum long term rate of £42 per week. She received a full week's payment of £42 on Wednesday, 7 December 1988.

Following a review her claim was backdated to Monday, 28 November 1988. Arrears of £23 in respect of 28 and 29 November 1988 will be paid to her this week.

The Social Welfare (Temporary Provisions) Regulations, 1988, provide for the payment of a Christmas bonus to persons in receipt of the long term rate of unemployment assistance who proved unemployment in the week ending Tuesday, 29 November 1988. The bonus amounted to 65 per cent of the amount of unemployment assistance payable in respect of that week.

The arrears of £23 being paid this week to the person concerned include an increase in respect of the bonus payment for the two days 28 and 29 November 1988.