Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I go back to another aspect of disability payments. Deputy Burke spoke about the length of time it takes to process carer's allowance. One is looking at situations with carer's benefit, for example, where someone has to leave work due to a stroke and there can be a delay. That needs to happen quickly as a person can be at work and suddenly have to depend on social welfare. As the person may have some savings, community welfare officers do not really kick in. That is one category but there are others in the area of disability. I have come across people who were previously on an invalidity pension. I realise it is not necessarily a pension for life where someone recovers. One wants people to recover and go back to work. It is a useful payment from that point of view. However, I have seen people removed from payment in circumstances which make the mind boggle. It is where someone has an obvious long-term illness. If someone appeals that or a disability payment matter, there is a very high rate of reversals of departmental decisions in disability cases. It is, or it certainly was, in excess of 50%. That is not a very good use of administrative time. In fact, it adds a layer of concern and bureaucracy for people who get the payment when they succeed on appeal. Has the Department looked at that and has the number come down in recent times?