Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent)

It saddens and angers me greatly to observe the ongoing debate on the domiciliary care allowance. The problems in this regard are clear to me from speaking to nurses with the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation. We have 288 families under our wing, including babies whose development has been severely delayed as a result of brain damage, many of whom are adversely affected by delays of up to eight months in the processing of domiciliary care allowance applications. Furthermore, the processing of applications for carer's allowance and medical cards is intertwined with the payment of domiciliary care allowance. It is utterly shocking that the Health Service Executive continues to request that families we assist submit domiciliary care allowance review forms in the knowledge that the children concerned will not get better. These children will never bake brown bread or kick a ball and, in most cases, their condition is terminal. I was convinced that my husband, Mr. Jonathan Irwin, who is chief executive officer of the foundation was mistaken when he told me what was happening. To my dismay, however, I discovered that it was very much the case.

As if that were not bad enough, what is truly appalling is that payment of domiciliary care allowance is withheld for the duration of the review process which takes, on average, eight months. This is bureaucracy gone mad and totally unfair. Severely disabled children and their parents are being treated with complete disrespect and their lives made more difficult than they already are. I call on the Minister for Health, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Finance to resolve this crisis and rectify the delay in the processing of claims for carer's allowance and medical cards. I am also asking Government Senators to step up to the plate by lobbying to have this issue resolved. Our purpose must be to safeguard the most vulnerable in our society, to which category the people to whom I refer unquestionably belong. Children and their parents deserve better and no politician can hide behind the excuse of there being no money available. Addressing these issues will ultimately result in a cost saving.