Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Could I suggest regarding the form that there is a lot of repetition? One I saw recently had the same question asked a number of times. Members of the public will be handed these application forms in an office or be sent them by the Department. It is not that long ago that I remember most of those forms were two or three pages. They are now looking at 24 to 26 pages. While I understand the necessity, we might ask the Department, in the interests of efficiency and fairness, to try and make the form more concise. There is good reason for many of the questions and it is important that the Department gets as full a picture as possible but people ask why are they are asked the same question, again and again, throughout the form. They could be simplified for applicants.

Other government forms have been simplified.

Work was done with the National Adult Literacy Agency on putting them into plain English and removing jargon. While that is welcome, further progress could be made on claim forms for disability and invalidity payments. We will seek that.

No. 1025B, which is from Ms Katherine Licken, Secretary General-----