Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Domiciliary care allowance is listed in the table. Before the election, I was told the appeals took an average of 49 weeks, almost a year. My office contacted the Department the week before last and was told that appeals submitted 17 months ago are now being assessed. A period of 17 months is unacceptable. Domiciliary care allowance is a small payment but for many people, especially when a child's disability has come to light, it can be quite overbearing. Waiting for a refusal of such payment is ridiculous. Should a review of the scheme be conducted? Is the Minister aware of the success rates of appeals? An increasing rate of successful appeals indicates a problem earlier in the system that should be addressed. The deciding officers at the initial phase need to spend more time examining the case files so they do not clog up the system later. In this case it is a small payment but in other social welfare cases people's lives depend on the payment so they can pay bills, maintain a roof over their heads and ensure their children can go to school.

I acknowledge the changes that have been brought about. Hopefully the temporary and permanent staff will have a substantial impact. An appeals process of three or four months, rather than nearly a year, is acceptable

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