Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I apologise but I asked Mr. McKeon a question. I asked whether his Department carries out test cases and his response was "No". This issue has been addressed in several Dáil replies. The Minister for Social Protection has stated a number of test cases were considered and that the chief appeals officer had advised a number of test cases were considered in the 1990s. In 2016, the then Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Varadkar, stated, “A number of test cases in relation to the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) Contract Meter Readers were investigated by Scope in recent years.” In January 2019, the Social Welfare Appeals Office stated, “On occasion over the years an approach of having 'test cases' has been taken ... by the Social Welfare Appeals Office.” In 2000, the then Secretary General of the then Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs stated that in order to resolve the matter, a number of representative test cases had been selected. Mr. McKeon, however, has said that is not true.