Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The one difference in the Minister’s answer is that there has been a meeting this year. Given the context, this is unacceptable. He has to give us details about when the new scheme will be up and running. In 2001, 23 years ago, the Ombudsman told us the scheme was improperly discriminatory, overly rigid and inflexible and appeared to be causing inequity. Then we had a Supreme Court case taken by two individuals. They were successful. The Minister announced in 2020 that a review would be undertaken. That is four years ago. Then we had the complete resignation of the whole board which we found out about from the media – I believe it was the television - in December 2021. Since then we have had an ad hoc system. There was no appeals system until December 2023. Can the Minister tell us how many appeals have gone through? What is the waiting list? What is the rate of progress? We have a system in place where, if you are refused, you go back six months later. How many appeals have been successful under that?

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