Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some people will not qualify, and I think everybody will accept that. Some requests were very vague and may not have been as detailed as they could have been, so the officers were not in a position to decide whether or not the applicants qualified until they got more information. I reassure the Deputy, however, that the community welfare officers will continue to have the discretion they currently have. As I said, not every payment has to be made immediately. This is taxpayers' money, and there must be checks and balances in place.

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