Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

The people involved have applied to the Irish social welfare system for a number of different payments. Some of those payments are determined by medical criteria. The view of the medical experts, who make their judgments in a medical context, was that they did not qualify for the payments for which they applied on medical grounds. With regard to the other payments for which they applied, they are currently under appeal and the appeals office will hold an oral hearing.

It is important to bear in mind the circumstances in this case. One of the persons arrived in Ireland in April 2010. Shortly afterwards they wrote to the Department of Social Security in the UK and ceased the incapacity benefit which they had been receiving. That Department wrote to the person and advised that it would cease the payment as the person no longer wished to receive it.

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