Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The reason I raise this is because people find themselves out of work through no fault of their own because of a disability or have to give up work to care for a loved one and may have to put in a claim for carer's allowance. These are genuine cases. I understand that it is complex. I understand that there are a number of different aspects in terms of judging whether people are eligible or not. The Oireachtas helpline is of assistance, but it is not a silver bullet. The experience we have had is that some applications take four and five months to process, which can cause serious problems. Even in straightforward cases, there may be a missing document that is then supplied. If there is an appeal, it can take up to 12 months. That is our experience.

The Minister asked if I have an individual case. I want to go back and check where those cases are at. If there is a particular case, I will bring it to his attention. The Minister read out a reply prepared by the Department. I am not saying that the officials are giving him false information, but the experience we have been having does not match what he read out.

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