Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I must concur with Deputy Boyd Barrett. Nothing the Minister of State has said has convinced me and many other people that there is a need for this. FLAC has come out and said that section 3 should be deleted as it does not present as having a purpose other than to make it more difficult for carers to access income supports since it does not alter the actual conditions for eligibility other than introducing a presumption that claimants are ineligible unless they can prove otherwise. If passed, prospective claimants will be presumed to be ineligible for a payment unless they can prove otherwise. This constitutes an unacceptable shift in the burden of proof placed on an applicant.

I believe what FLAC is saying. My experience of dealing with cases heretofore leads me to believe that this is what it will do. Over the past three years in our areas, we have seen a pulling back in many instances, from community welfare officers into the city centre, particularly in Bishop's Square. Tightening things up all the time makes it more difficult for people. There is no flexibility on the part of community welfare officers in dealing with individual cases, clothing allowance, etc. We now see a very specific knot in our legislation relating to carer's allowance.

Our amendments relate to medical criteria. They do not affect means testing, which must accompany an application. The amendments propose that a GP's recommendation or determination regarding a person's medical needs be accepted. Obviously, a deciding officer can look at the other aspects relating to getting carer's allowance.

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