Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has to repay a pension payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56326/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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State pension payments are paid on Friday of each week, on a 'week-in-advance' basis, with pension entitlement covering the period from the due payment date (Friday) to the following Thursday.

My Department makes every effort to prevent over-issue of pension payments, but this is sometimes not possible where the death of a pension recipient occurs in the days immediately prior to their next scheduled payment day.  Where pension payment has issued (either for collection at the person's Post Office or by direct transfer to their financial institution account), entitlement to pension will already have ceased as the person concerned will have been paid, in advance, for the week of their passing, on the previous Friday.   

In the case of the person concerned, the undue payment which had issued to the person's Post Office was subsequently collected.  In these circumstances, the standard procedure is that the Department writes to the personal representative of the deceased to request a refund of the pension payment. 

All overpayments, including posthumous pension over-issues, are regarded as a debt to the State and as such every effort must be made to have them repaid.  However, in seeking recovery, consideration is given to personal circumstances.  If a person has difficulty in making the repayment and contacts my Department, it will be possible to facilitate repayment by instalments.  The Department will assist similarly in this case, if required.   

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.