Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

The annual report of the appeals officer which was published last June stated that a majority of the appeals heard were upheld. He referred to the serious problems arising from inadequate information being provided to clients on their entitlements. He drew attention to serious delays in the response from deciding officer to queries from his office. These are quite serious indictments. The appeals officer made a number of recommendations in his annual report. Does the Minister accept that his findings indicate that something is wrong down the line in the Department and in the decision process of deciding officers? Will he outline what action has been taken on foot of the appeals officer's report?

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