Mr. John McKeon:

There is some movement of doctors, but we have increased the number from less than 20 to over 30 such that the process is now more stable than it was. If a person with Down's syndrome was refused invalidity pension, that would concern me. If, for example, a person has asperger's syndrome or autism at a young age and at some point requires substantial care, a claim for domiciliary care allowance will be awarded, but with proper education and other supports, he or she can improve such that by the time he or she reaches the age of 16 years, he or she might no longer require such support. Although it may appear odd, some cases are marked for review, but we try to take a careful approach to them as we are aware of the stress reviews impose on parents. As mentioned in the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, the Minister asked us to stop carrying out reviews in DCA cases and set up an expert group with a number of stakeholders to see how the process could be improved. We have done that. I will ask my colleague, Ms Faughnan, to comment further on the matter.