Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister's statement about the domiciliary allowance in reply to the previous question. Specifically, could he address the supplementary welfare appeals in his answer if he has a moment?

In relation to processing times, I am not trying to be unfair or harsh, but I look at the response that the chief appeals officer continues to monitor the number of appeals on hand and that appeal processing times take extra effort to ensure decisions are consistent and timely and I just wonder what the definition of "timely" is in the Department. Somebody who is in dire need of this payment - some more than others - does not have the facility to wait what is often 20, 25 or 30 weeks. Is there any kind of guide as to what people need to be aiming for or are there any targets the Minister could share with us this morning?

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