Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

Let me continue. As carer's allowance is based on a medical assessment, the information has to satisfy not the clerical staff in the Department but the medical staff who are making the decisions. Once the changes I have spoken about are complete, we will need to look at the quality of the information provided at the initial application date, and I have already had discussions with the medical staff in the Department about this. If that information could be provided, I am sure that the number of preliminary refusals could be cut significantly.

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