Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment to the parent or guardian of a child with a disability so severe that the child requires care, attention and supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. The allowance is currently paid to more than 24,000 parents and guardians in respect of 26,000 children at a cost of approximately ¤100 million in 2011, with the accompanying respite care grant costing a further ¤45 million.

The Department has 22 medical assessors including the chief medical advisor and the acting deputy chief medical advisor. A further three medical assessors have recently been appointed by the Public Appointments Service and are due to commence work in the first week of November 2012, which is in a fortnight's time.

The Department's medical assessors are fully qualified and experienced practitioners who provide a second opinion to that of the person's own doctor for the guidance of deciding officers. Their assessments conform to the ethical conduct and behavioural guidelines of the Medical Council. Medical assessors are required to be medical practitioners who are on the general register of medical practitioners while holding an appointment. They must have at least six years' satisfactory experience in the practice of medicine since registration. Many of the medical assessors have specialist postgraduate qualifications. They also have special training in eligibility assessment and disability evaluation. The medical assessors are committed to continuing medical education to ensure standards are maintained and enhanced. On-going medical education is provided by national and international experts in the evaluation of disability. There are also regular meetings and seminars under the direction of the chief medical adviser where a range of medical issues and developments in the occupational medicine field are discussed.

Medical assessors are not specifically assigned to any one particular scheme and all deal with domiciliary care allowance applications. All of the medical assessors have access to the medical review and assessment case management system where they complete desk assessments of medical evidence submitted with regard to customer claims, appeals and reviews on all of the Department's disability and illness related schemes.