Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)

I wish to discuss the amount of time it takes to process disability allowance and disability benefit claims. Recently, I spoke to a community welfare officer who told me that either 6,500 or 8,500 claims are in that office at present awaiting decision. To make my point I will recount two anecdotal cases.

A man claiming jobseeker's benefit working at home with a disk saw mutilated his finger. He contacted the social welfare office and stated what had happened. The jobseeker's benefit payment was stopped immediately and the man was told he would have to apply for disability benefit, which he did. I must stress this man would not know the system inside out. The accident happened last March and his claim for disability allowance arrived in the office on 27 May. On 4 October he received a reply to state that he was refused. He was told by the social welfare office to give up his jobseeker's benefit because he was not available for work because of his injury. He applied for disability allowance and was refused. He was told that his case had been considered by a medical assessor who expressed the opinion that he was unsuitable for disability allowance because all of the required medical criteria were not satisfied. He meets both required criteria.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House and I appreciate and understand that he inherited the Department. Will he tell the House what medical qualifications do the medical assessors have? To the best of my knowledge they have none. If any medic saw the state of this man's hand and finger he or she would not disallow him disability benefits. We will appeal it but I believe this man has been victimised by the system. He has not received a cent since the accident happened last March and it is now October. I do not know how long it will take for this appeal to go before the chief appeals officer, who will not see his hand either, but he has received no payment whatsoever since March last.

In another case, while in hospital for a minor procedure there was serious harm done to a neighbour of mine, so much so that today I applied for an E111 form where he must go to England for treatment. Ten months ago that man applied for disability allowance. He has been refused because he was considered by a medical assessor to be unsuitable for disability allowance because all the medical criteria listed were not satisfied. That is ten months ago, and his wife and two children have got nothing from the State. In those ten months he has spent 83 days in hospital and he has not got a shilling from the State. Will the Minister tell me the number of medical assessors in his Department who can make the assessment, without seeing the injuries of these two particular persons, that they cannot work?

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