John Kelly (Labour)

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to deal with this important issue, about which I have been very concerned for the past two years. It concerns how medical referees in the Department of Social Protection seem to be dealing with applications for disability allowance, invalidity pension and carer's allowance, in particular. There seems to be an unwritten rule that they refuse almost every application and send applicants along the appeals route which takes between nine and 12 months to complete for persons who are hard-pressed and want answers. They are put on a merry-go-round, which is unfair.

Let me give some examples. A constituent of mine was looking after his wife who had Parkinson's disease. He took two years off work and received carer's benefit. At the end of the two year benefit period he applied for carer's allowance. Even though his wife's condition was deteriorating, the medical profession deemed that she was not unfit for work and the application for carer's allowance was refused. Another man who suffers from severe depression, has restricted mobility in his left leg, to a level of 5%, and is incontinent has been told he does not need a full-time carer, even though he actually has one. In another case a man from the Czech Republic here on a special visa to work as a specialist butcher in a local factory, in which a crate of meat fell on top of him, seriously damaging his spinal cord and hip, which means he walks in a way that indicates he is severely disabled, has been told he might be fit to do light work and thus will not receive disability allowance, despite the fact he does not have three words of English.

I am well aware that in the good times, when there was plenty of money available, disability allowance, invalidity pension and carer's allowance was paid to people who perhaps did not fully deserve it. I have often cited the example of a man I know who receives blind pension, yet goes into town every day to buy the Daily Star. That happened in the past and I certainly disagreed with it. However, the wheel has now turned full circle and what is being done is totally unfair. If Christy Brown was to apply for disability allowance now, he would be told he was not eligible because he would be able to type with his big toe. It is becoming ridiculous and somebody has to take the issue by the scruff of the neck. Somebody has to tell departmental officials to tell medical referees that what they are doing to people is unfair. They have no idea how they are being affected.

When appeals are heard, it turns out that 50% of decisions made are overturned. If that is the case, it means the medical referees have made a mistake in 50% of cases. Either they are able to do their job, or they are not. Otherwise, it must be the case that they are being told to do it in a particular way. I want to know what has changed in the past two years and what the Minister will do to rectify the matter.