Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for allowing me the opportunity to raise this issue, which I have raised previously by way of parliamentary question and on the Adjournment but it has not been resolved as of yet. This relates to a young woman who arrived in this country some years ago, with her husband, on foot of a work permit. Unfortunately, over the years her circumstances have changed dramatically for the worse whereby she now finds herself, after a very acrimonious separation procedure, separated, alone and homeless.

Again and again, the response I receive to queries regarding rent support is that she previously made an application which was refused by the HSE but she did not appeal. What are the chances of her appeal being successful? The Acting Chairman, Deputy Wall, will be familiar with the HSE appeals process relating to supplementary allowances. I am quite sure that the Minister of State, Deputy Carey, is also familiar with the procedure. I am very familiar with it, from my days in the former health board and I have yet to find a person who was successful in his or her appeal. I have never met even one such person. It is said that up to 20% of appeals are successful but unfortunately I am still waiting to meet the first person whose appeal was successful.

Ironically, a parliamentary question is regarded by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and by the HSE, in such circumstances, as equal to an appeal. A Dáil question triggers an appeal and the case is automatically examined. One way or another, the person concerned has had growing rent arrears for the past six months and nothing has been paid. The only help she has received was from the local branch of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which is adamant that this is a most pressing and urgent case that requires assistance.

The other excuse that has been used to refuse rent supplement is that the local authority has not ratified her need for rehousing. Why has it not done so? The reason given is that she does not have stamp four status. What a load of codswallop. I have never heard anything like it in my life. The person is homeless. She has two children who are attending local schools, is being supported by voluntary organisations and was previously in receipt of rent support from the HSE at a different address. When she moved to her current address, the community welfare officer in that area obviously had a different view of the case. While I do not want to create problems for individual officers outside this House I wish to make it quite clear that it is not acceptable that individuals make decisions which are particularly punitive and impact in the way that this decision has impacted on the woman in question, as of now.

I can anticipate the Minister of State's reply and could write the script for him. Indeed, he knows I could write the script for him, before he ever reads it. As a practising politician himself, Deputy Carey will understand the frustration of Members of the House in situations such as this. I ask him to reach down through the system and find out the individual or the blockage that is causing the problem and resolve it. This issue is not going to go away and I have every intention of raising it again and, if necessary, to raise a complaint about the way it has been handled by the individual officer concerned. I will not accept it. There is further information available which I do not wish to put on the record of the House at this particular time, but I will do so in the future if I have to. I wish to make that quite clear. I will leave it to the Minister of State to use his good judgment, courage and initiative to take this problem by the scruff of the neck and resolve it.

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