Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I raised an individual case because I have serious concerns about the handling of this by the Department. These are separated parents, both of whom claim to be the principal carer of the child. When the Department found in favour of the mother I queried the decision and discovered it was based on a letter from a social worker which was on the file. The social worker had no professional role with the family. When I requested a review, senior staff accepted that the original decision was flawed. The file was then sent back to the original deciding officer, who upheld the original decision, as the Minister stated.

Two issues arise in this instance and both require attention. Will the Minister indicate what is the verification process for supporting documentation from professionals on the basis of which final decisions are made? The decision in this instance related to child benefit and had knock-on effects in the context of increases for a qualified child and a family income supplement payment. In the light of the change introduced in the budget, it will also have an impact in respect of the lone parent tax credit. This is a very important decision and there is a great deal of money involved. It only came to light that there was a letter from a social worker on the file after I had taken up the matter with someone at senior level within the Department. In circumstances where the actual handling of a case is being challenged, surely the review should be carried out by another deciding officer. There is a need for a policy change in this regard. The review in this case did not arise on foot of new documentation, it came about as a result of a flawed decision made by the original deciding officer. In that context, the review should be carried out and the final decision made by a different deciding officer.

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