Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

Staff are deployed throughout the Department wherever pressure points arise. Upwards of 5,000 people are spread across the Department and they work under substantial pressure on the new schemes, making changes and improvements they are asked to implement on a daily basis. I cannot say that staff were specifically deployed to carers but the Secretary General deploys staff wherever pressure points arise as he sees fit.

By fast-tracked I mean the Department will bring good judgment to bear on claims. Those that are outstanding for over eight weeks will receive earlier attention, as will those where there is serious illness involved, the medical evidence is clear or documentary procedures can be expedited by intervention by the Department. All cases are important but we want the most urgent to be dealt with first.

I will not rehearse my view on carers; I agree entirely with Deputy Murphy on their social value. It behoves all of us to make improvements for carers who look after those who require it.

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