Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 22:

In page 7, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following:

6.—The Minister shall, within three months of the commencement of this Act, lay before each House of the Oireachtas, a report on supports available to individuals in receipt of Illness Benefit.

The Minister answered my queries on this on Committee Stage. The only point I want to make in terms of illness benefit, and the disability payment, is the time taken for appeals, particularly in the case of disability payment. While we get answers to parliamentary questions, Deputy O'Dowd raised with me today the fact that while it takes 22 weeks for an appeal, he cited three separate instances of persons attending his clinic at the weekend who are waiting over a year, including the appeal time period, for the payment. The timescale needs to be addressed for the future.

See this speech in context