Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. McKeon for his opening statement. While the apology is welcome, I would like to know if an apology has been communicated, by phone or in writing, to every recipient of illness benefit? Have these people received an explanation for the systems failure? I would like to hear from Mr. McKeon what information and instructions were given to the local Intreo offices and community welfare officers in regard to this systems failure? As in the case of other Deputies, constituents have come to my office saying they could not get information from the Intreo offices as they did not appear to have been instructed on what to tell people about what was going on. As stated, this systems failure left very vulnerable people without a safety net. If I was not paid for a week, I would be able to manage as I have a safety net in place. Most people who have jobs would likewise have safety nets, but people who are dependent on social protection payments do not have them. They live from day to day, week to week and so on. This systems failure should have been brought to the attention of the community welfare officers immediately it happened and they should have been told to prioritise payments for the individuals affected. What instructions were given to the local Intreo offices and community welfare officers?

Will Mr. McKeon ensure that all illness benefit recipients receive a communication from the Department to include an apology, an explanation of what happened and instructions on what to do should it happen again? If this system has failed, it could fail again. I understand that just as it was not possible to guarantee that the new system, when implemented, would not fail, Mr. McKeon cannot guarantee there will be no further systems failures. Apologising to the committee is not good enough. The apology needs to be communicated to the people affected.