Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I acknowledge the numbers of appeals that are being processed annually but given the number of appeals lodged, the problem has not yet been addressed. There are obscene delays in some payments for people who are in very stressful situations. Delays in applications for payments such as the carer's allowance, domiciliary care payments and disability allowance are only adding to the stress.

The Minister mentioned new technologies. Can the social welfare appeals office be given access to the files via intranet or e-mail rather than requiring that the physical file be sent from Longford, Sligo or wherever to Dublin? That might allow for speedier turnaround times.

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