Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the review and I hope it will be implemented. Perhaps the Minister will outline what she sees as a reasonable timeframe for each decision to be made. Something else that happens is that the appeals office states it is waiting for documentation to come from the Department. I and other Deputies, including Deputy Lowry, are working on cases in the process with long waiting times. It is not always down to the paperwork not being fully there. In many cases it is just not getting through the system quickly enough.

The issue with supplementary welfare is that if somebody has been working and gives up work they may have income in that year so they will not get a supplementary welfare payment. It is important that we try to put in place timescales for decisions to be made. Where additional information is required there should be a timeframe once it is submitted. I know there has been an increase in applications and I know it is serious but carers and people who give up work to care full-time for people at home need to be treated with urgency and as a priority.

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