Treasury’s Social Security Division is reminding people who receive state pensions and benefits for others – known as ‘appointees’ – to keep proper account of the benefits they receive and spend on their behalf.
Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK explained: ‘Unfortunately some people do not have the capacity to act for themselves in claiming pensions and benefits and in meeting their expenses. Therefore, there is a process within the social security system which allows other people – usually family members or close friends – to do so. It is vital that there is someone they can trust who can act for them.’
The Minister went on: ‘We need to be sure that our procedures for appointing people to act for others are robust and that we are confident that appointees use the pensions and benefits they receive for others solely for the benefit of the person they act for. This might include, for example, paying their residential home fees, or their rent or utility bills or paying for their groceries. Once a person has been appointed to act for someone else in relation to their benefit affairs, it is important that they fully understand their responsibilities.
‘We have recently changed the letters we send when we appoint someone to make it clearer what their responsibilities are. These letters explain that appointees should keep a proper record of what pensions or benefits they have received on behalf of the person they are acting for and how they have spent that money. Ideally, they should keep a separate bank account for that person. We shall be conducting audits to ensure that appointees are using the pensions and benefits they receive for the purpose for which they are intended’.
Mr Teare added: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the relatives, friends and carers who agree to act on behalf of another person in dealing with their social security benefit affairs. In many cases they can make the difference to a person being able to live in their home, rather than having to move in to residential care’.
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