Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have always praised the civil servants involved. I asked whether there were additional resources available. The Minister confirmed that she had found additional resources, but she did not say from where she had got them. It is welcome that there are additional resources to deal with the backlog. The problem is that the backlog will not be dealt with before Christmas, yet applicants who apply from this week will have their claims dealt with and be in receipt of payment in many cases by the end of this month or before Christmas. Patently, this is unfair. The Minister could have cleared some of the backlog in Letterkenny, in addition to dealing with new applicants; that is the way forward. The Minister is leaving people entitled to the payment without it. In some cases, the amount concerned could be substantial. Our calculation, based on an average figure, is that many families will be owed up to €3,500 by the Department. If payment is left until after Christmas, the average sum owed will be €4,500.

Those families have forgone what they are entitled to because of a failure to address the processing problems at an earlier stage. I welcome the fact that the Minister is addressing this, but the proper way to do it is not to allow people to jump ahead of the queue. That is patently unfair. Those people who are waiting have not been informed of the situation, other than those who have been in contact with my office - who, incidentally, were informed that the Department is no longer dealing with their claims, that they have gone to Letterkenny, that there is nothing more it can do, and that they may not get any payment or decision prior to Christmas. Even though it is welcome that this is being addressed, I do not believe it is being addressed in a proper and fair fashion.

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