Written answers
Tuesday, 6 July 2021
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Pension Provisions
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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337. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 423 of 22 June 2021, the number of claims made for the blind pension in 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of successful claims versus unsuccessful claims for each year; and the reason for same in tabular form. [35870/21]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Blind pension is a residency based means tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people between the age of 18 and 66 who are habitually resident in the State. There were 98 new blind pension claims made in 2020 and 37 new blind pension claims made to the end of June 2021.
The number of successful, pending and unsuccessful blind pension claims for 2020 and to the end of June 2021 is as set out in the table below
| Year | Number of Blind Pension claims | Successful Claims | Pending Claims | Unsuccessful Claims |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 98 | 22 | 5 | 71 |
| To end June 2021 | 37 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
The numbers and reasons the applications were unsuccessful is detailed below:
| 2020 | To end June 2021 | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 6 | Customer failed to reply when further information was requested |
| 18 | 9 | Not medically suitable to claim Blind Pension |
| 13 | 1 | Better off on another social welfare payment |
| 13 | 2 | Means exceeded the statutory limit |
| 5 | 3 | Withdrawn at the customer’s request |
| 4 | 1 | Over 66 years of age |
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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