Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As I outlined during Committee Stage proceedings, I am not able to accept amendment No. 27 or amendment No. 28. This scheme we are creating will be the largest of its kind established by the State.

It is important that we are realistic about the timeframes within which the applications under it can be processed. Every intention will be taken to process the applications as speedily as possible. I assure Deputies that everything is being done in my Department to build the administrative infrastructure; operate the scheme and ensure we can have it open as soon as possible after legislation is enacted.

However, this is complex work and the administration of the scheme will require those operating it to engage with tens of thousands of applicants, particularly at the start when the scheme first opens. In many cases, because of the design of the scheme and because proof of residence in an institution will allow an application for many people, for the vast majority of people this will be a simple process. Due to the historic nature of the records, there may be occasions where there are challenges and there will be in the region of 34,000 applications coming in under this scheme. It is not possible to anticipate in every situation whether there may be some barriers to finding the relevant information that is necessary to prove an applicant's residency in an institution.

We want to move these applications as quickly as possible but the Bill is being crafted to recognise that there may be some more complicated applications, and in that situation, allowing the chief deciding officer to deal with them as soon as practicable allows for a more realistic timeline than some of the deadlines that are proposed by Deputies today. The Bill proposes to prioritise elderly applicants. If you look at section 16(3)(b), it clearly states the chief deciding officer "may accord priority to the examination of an application where he or she considers that it is in the interest of fairness and efficiency to do so, having regard in particular to the personal circumstances, including the age and state of health, of the applicant". In light of that provision, as we have a clear obligation to consider age and health status, I am not in a position to accept amendments Nos. 29 or 30. Those points are already reflected within the context of that section.

As referenced, in considering all of these proposed amendments and the potential concerns behind them that I acknowledge Deputies are trying to address, I am bringing forward amendment No. 57. This amendment provides within the Bill that "The Minister may issue guidelines for the purpose of providing practical guidance" to those involved in any aspect of the administration or delivery of the scheme. It is anticipated that these guidelines will serve to provide a detailed roadmap on how applications will be handled and the various points where an applicant can expect to hear from the scheme administrators in respect of their applications. Those guidelines will also set out in more detail, stemming from section 16(3)(b), how the prioritisation process operated by the chief deciding officer will work.

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