Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue. I refer to the long period people have to wait for a social welfare appeal to be decided. As the Minister of State knows, this places huge stress on individuals and families who are waiting for decisions to be made. Invalidity pensions, domiciliary care allowance and carer's allowance are some of the applications subject to very lengthy appeal periods, as I know from my constituency office. As the Minister of State knows, anybody who applies for an invalidity pension is doing so because they are not fit to work on health grounds over a long-term period. Therefore, they need a decision as quickly as possible on their eligibility for the invalidity pension.

People are applying for this payment because they need it, but in many cases it is taking up to eight, nine or even ten months for decisions to be made on appeals for applications. As we know full well, domiciliary care allowance is a payment to families where there is a child under 16 years of age with a severe disability. It is not a means-tested payment, but rather a payment based on the disability of the child. Again, the appeals period can be very lengthy. Unfortunately, this places huge stress on families while waiting for an appeal a decision on an appeal to be made.

Similarly, in many cases of applications for the domiciliary care allowance and the care allowance, people in a household reduce their working hours and may have to give up work entirely in order to stay at home to care for a loved one. They need this payment very badly and, in many cases, urgently.

11 o’clock

Unfortunately, as I have said, an appeal can take up to eight or nine months in some cases. This is totally unacceptable. I am sure the Minister of State will agree it is unacceptable. There is a double standard here because when an applicant gets a decision on the initial application, there is a very tight window to make an appeal. It is quite a strict deadline and there is very little wriggle room for the applicant to surpass it. Yet, once the appeal goes into the system there appears to be an open-ended period for the Department to make a decision on an appeal. This double standard needs to be corrected. There needs to be a strict timeline for appeals to be dealt with.

I recognise the Minister, Deputy Calleary, has tried to improve the situation. I am aware there is recruitment of additional staff to try to address the issue. This is very welcome but there should be a strict timeline for dealing with appeals. I do not think it is acceptable that people have to wait so long for decisions to come through. Whether or not they are approved, ultimately people should be informed of the decision within a reasonable timeframe. I sincerely hope the Minister of State will take back to the Department the message that decisions should be made within a reasonable timeframe to reduce the stress, anxiety and frustration of many individuals and families. Many Members of the House have heard about this through their constituency clinics and constituency offices. I thank the Minister of State again for being here and I sincerely hope she can take this message back loud and clear.

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