John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)

I have no hesitation in saying this Government and its predecessor have been playing with the lives of already marginalised families in their attitude towards the application review and the appeals process for the domiciliary care allowance. I know times are hard but it says a lot for a country when vulnerable people are being treated like this. For a few short gains, the Government is creating a situation whereby children with disabilities will be more dependent on the State in the long term. We should be focusing on the strength of a disabled child to help him or her become a productive member of society. The entire application review system for the DCA payment is fundamentally flawed and should be overhauled. In addition, full administration should be returned to the Department of Health. There are a shocking number of anomalies in the system, with allowances being withdrawn without a face-to-face evaluation. Parents are being reviewed for the payment just 12 months after their initial qualification.

I addressed a meeting in a Waterford hotel last week which was attended by more than 70 parents. One of their arguments was that after being approved, they were brought back into the system 12 months later to be humiliated. I use the word "humiliated" because that is exactly how they felt.

Parents whose child has been diagnosed with autism or Asperger's syndrome are dealing with one of the biggest crises of their lives. It is a confusing and highly anxious time for a family. On top of this emotional roller-coaster, they are facing a child's diagnosis. It is very difficult for a family. They also have the frustration and disillusionment of being made to feel they are defrauding the system. It is despicable that many such parents are made to feel that way when they go through the system.

There are inherent flaws in the application form that contribute to an unnecessarily low success rate. The medical section of the form, for example, does not allow for a full description of the care needs of a child with autism that has to be met by parents. Is the Department of Health or the Department of Social Protection aware of that? The Minister should look at the form because parents argue there is nothing in it to allow them to explain their child's problem.

The average rate of successful first applications across all disabilities is shockingly low at 38%. One third of all those who go for review are allowed. These are significantly high numbers. A norm is emerging whereby many people are refused the domiciliary care allowance, DCA, on first application, but may be successful following an oral hearing. The current waiting time for an oral hearing, following a rejection of the initial DCA application, is on average 38 weeks. This adds insult to injury. The persistent failure to inform families of the specific reasons a child does not qualify for the DCA means a parent is prohibited from appealing the decision on specific grounds. The lengthy and costly review of the entire process is a ridiculous waste of time and resources. We must examine that.

Within the review process, the Department clearly lacks the appropriate level of expertise to assess the eligibility of claimants. The Minister has said previously that if a DCA payment is stopped on medical grounds, the applicant is able to submit additional information in support of the case. Why is it, however, that many who have been reviewed have long-term disabilities? That question needs to be answered by the Government. This is a disgraceful waste of State resources not to mention the unnecessary stress of a lengthy process being imposed upon families who are already struggling to provide round-the-clock monitoring for their children. Can somebody explain why a person who has been diagnosed with a long-term disability by a specialist and a doctor still has to go through a review process? It is absurd and outrageous.

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