Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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76. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will re-open a claim for a one-parent family payment in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5314/15]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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85. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if all social welfare entitlements as requested are in payment in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5391/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 85 together.

The person concerned submitted an application for One Parent Family Payment on 30 October 2014. The One Parent Family Payment scheme is subject to a means test and in order to carry out a means test a customer must be available for interview or contactable at a given address. The person concerned was recently invited for interview with a Social Welfare Inspector but failed to attend. The Social Welfare Inspector had also tried on a number of occasions to contact the person concerned by telephone and by way of a house call but again was unable to contact her. The application was recently closed and the person concerned was notified of this decision in writing. To date, no contact or explanation has been received by the Inspector from the person concerned.

The person concerned has been in receipt of Supplementary Welfare Allowance from the local Community Welfare Services office while her One Parent Family Payment application was being processed. The designated person responsible for paying the person concerned a Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment, recently spoke with the person concerned and informed her that she will need to re-open her application for One Parent Family payment and be available for interview with the Social Welfare Inspector in order for a Supplementary Welfare Allowance payment to continue.