Seanad debates

Tuesday, 25 March 2003

Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).

 

I am pleased the Minister made improvements to the after death arrangements, although it will not be any benefit to those who have already died. An issue I have raised on a number of occasions is that in some cases where overpayments were made to people who have died, their relatives still receive demands for outstanding amounts paid because their true income did not come to light until they died. The relatives are left with fairly substantial bills. This problem is common to the broad area of payments from small farmers' assistance to pensions. In all the cases of which I am aware, the relatives were unaware that overpayments were being made. Some provision is being made to deal with this issue and I hope it will be expanded in such a way as to deal with the large number of overpayments especially in respect of small farmers' assistance. Relatives who were unaware that this had happened are left with fairly substantial bills.

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