Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a refusal to put people on invalidity pension, where they are clearly unable to work. What should happen is that they be put on that pension, but it is not happening. Those people are being cut off the system completely in an unfair manner.

Applications for carer's allowance are being delayed. In some cases, people being cared for are dying during the application process, which is shocking. I have come across such cases. Applications for disability allowance are also being delayed. Yes, the Government can say it has not cut the disability allowance, but it should point out that tens of thousands of people have either been refused the allowance or their payments have been delayed. These people are getting nothing and are being sacrificed on the altar of a political promise not to cut welfare. However, it has been cut and the lives of those affected have been devastated. These are an unorganised silent group, but I know they come to the clinics of all parties. Social welfare queries and delays in the social welfare system are one of the big issues for everybody meeting constituents.

Appeals to the social welfare appeals office always took a long time, but improvements had begun to take place. However, those improvements now seem to have disappeared. One thing I can say about the social welfare appeals office is that it is independent and is not dependent on the whims of the Minister, Deputy Burton, or the Government. It seems to be making decisions strictly in accordance with the legislation, which is what it should do, but the Department of Social Protection is not doing the same. I have seen several examples of this in my constituency office. It is disgraceful the way the welfare system is being run.

The Department mantra is "we did not cut welfare", but it did. It cut the household benefits package, affecting the most vulnerable people in society. The fuel allowance has also been cut. People must be particularly vulnerable to get those allowances. A couple was on to me just before I came to the House to speak and told me they have just ¤120 a week pension between the two of them. I doubt they will get the fuel allowance as I believe the limit is ¤100. Even if they did qualify for the fuel allowance, they would be affected, because the Minister has reduced the season for fuel allowance by a number of weeks. That is a significant cut in the income of such people over the year. People who save up to buy a tank of oil have been hit particularly hard, because they depend on saving that allowance up to have a lump sum to enable them buy oil. Instead of making such cuts, the Department should be honest with the people and tell them that the country is struggling and we need to cut our cloth to meet our measure.

Fianna Fáil did that when in office, although nobody liked doing it.