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

I thank the Deputy. I reassure Deputies by reiterating it is the full intention that applications to this payment scheme will be addressed as quickly as possible. While I understand that concern was expressed regarding the absence of specified timelines in the legislation and that this could be interpreted as opening the door to long delays in processing applications, this is absolutely not our intention. We expect that the vast majority of applications will be readily verifiable through the official records and will be processed quickly to payment offers.

In a scheme of this scale, however, we must also be cognisant that a limited number of applications will not be as easily verifiable, owing, perhaps, to inadequate official records. To place specific timelines in legislation requires certainty that they are achievable in all circumstances and the particular timelines being proposed to be put in here are simply not achievable. I think it would be wrong for us to put into legislation something we will simply not be in a position to deliver. We will, though, have targets and timelines built-in around the guidelines surrounding the scheme. These will be contained in ministerial guidelines and they will be supplemented on an administrative basis.

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