Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that I will be meeting the board and the chairman in the context of the ongoing review. I believe it is important to use this review as an opportunity to ensure we make the system the best that it can be.

There will always be problems in the way any official body operates in respect of obligations to meet criteria, receipt of applications and meeting the obligations of the Committee of Public Accounts and so on. We need to try to design processes that are easier to use. I know there have been frustrations around the appeal and complaint mechanisms. However, cases of recourse to the ombudsman have been few enough. Obviously, that is a port of call. We should try to make it as seamless as we can.

To be fair to Caranua, the fund has been doing good work. It has tried to improve its procedures consistently. Those involved have sought to broaden the scope of the fund.

I can understand how the concept of putting in place a cap came about. There was a concern that additional applications were coming and that the cupboard would effectively be bare for some of the applications if the expenditure continued on some of the trends. Obviously, that approach can be considered in the course of the review in respect of whether that was an appropriate way to proceed.

We are trying to ensure that people are supported in the best way possible through the fund. Legislative obligations must be met and Caranua has to balance that as well as being sensitive to the hurt that people have suffered and the obligations that we all have to those people.

I hope that through this review we can bring about a system that responds more effectively. To be fair, Caranua has been trying to improve the system progressively from a difficult start. That is something everyone acknowledges.

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