Results 5,541-5,560 of 9,350 for speaker:Verona Murphy

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I fully accept that. The members of this committee would be the people to ridicule the Department if it was granting the payment without evidence. However, many applications in respect of which there is no assessment of need but there is a level of medical explanation, for want of a better phrase, or doctor's certification that the child is on the spectrum are being returned. We can appeal...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I am not concerned about the delays because we do move it on. That is where I am saying our engagement is quite good. I am not concerned about delay-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: Okay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: Mr. McKeon is avoiding my question. I am asking about discretion and subjectiveness when it comes to the assessment by the Department.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I am asking about such decisions where the assessor is in receipt of a doctor's letter and literally everything except the assessment of need. That is where I am coming from. My appeal to Mr. McKeon is that these are people who are in dire need and already have inhibiting factors that do not allow them to work and the DCA is very important to them. They have those additional needs and are...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I understand that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: Unfortunately, so has the level of autism, particularly-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I understand that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: No problem.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I apologise for interjecting but, to be fair, the staff in my constituency offices are experienced enough that they almost know, based on previous grants of domiciliary care allowance, whether an application will pass. That is important too because we are only putting ourselves through hardship with appeals. It is doubling the work. I understand that an appeal may relate to the timeline in...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: We would often help first-time applicants and would know from experience that their applications should pass. Our constituency offices are seeing an increase in these cases. One of our primary jobs is filling in forms for this allowance, over and above housing applications, or at least almost equal to same. I am shocked at the level of rejections and the number of cases that we have to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I understand that but Mr. McKeon just said that 50% are granted on appeal-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: I just want to comment on the fact that the level of engagement required is very high for people who are already in very difficult situations. These are people who constantly say that they are time poor. They do not have time to fight for this. They need it badly-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: -----but they do not have the time or the energy. They are dealing with extremely difficult situations-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: How many of the 27% were granted on appeal?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: Equally, I would not endorse someone who walked into my office if I believed that he or she was not entitled to the payment. I would not rush to help such a person over and above the people I really do believe are in need.

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: In our area, particularly in my constituency, we have wonderful groups that provide meals on wheels. I note that there are certainly many who cannot do without them. I do not want anyone to think the position is we do not want to fund the CE schemes. It is maybe that the wrong Department is funding them. We have issues with filling positions on CE schemes. I am not sure how that works...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: The supervisors have quite a difficult job. I have endorsed their pay claims. It is ridiculous that any sector would go for 14 years without a pay increase but I know that is not up to Mr. McKeon. I will go back to the recovery of benefits and assistance. As outlined in Chapter 11, paragraph 11.15, of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, I do not understand why in 25% of cases...

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: There is very much scope for that. What kind of money is the Exchequer at the loss of here?

Public Accounts Committee: 2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes (1 Dec 2022)

Verona Murphy: If we go to the report for the period between 2014 and 2021, €532 million is outstanding as potentially recoverable. Some €160 million has been received, which is less than a third. The Department is at approximately €300 million, which is a vast amount of money, particularly in view of the Department we are dealing with. I know it has huge budgets but that is a lot of...