Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The DDMBA was not the only group, committee or board reaching out to the Department of Finance or Minister at the time. We heard from the Ombudsman that his predecessor had written on numerous occasions concerning commitments not lived up to. Strong criticisms were made of the Department for not dealing with the issue or making the necessary changes. I said to the current Ombudsman that if the public knew what was happening and was able to put faces and names and see how cruel the system is, it probably would not accept it. However, it is off to the side. The witnesses are dealing with it and seeing the families who feel the system is failing them and venting at the witnesses. Can the witnesses explain, without personal details, cases where the current system involving the six criteria fails people with severe disabilities? I mean people who should, in the witnesses' view, be catered for but, because of the criteria, they have to rule against them.