John Kelly (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do. I have dealt with many cases in which the person applied for disability allowance and was refused. They sought a medical reassessment and were refused. They appealed and six months after appealing the decision their file was sent from Longford to the appeals office. When one asks when the appeal will be heard, the office cannot state whether it will be in three, six or 12 months. Therefore, cases are ongoing for almost two and a half years. The bottom line is that we are dealing with faceless medical referees and appeals officers who are making decisions to frustrate people.

This is piling pressure on the civil servants trying to administer the scheme, in respect of which no additional resources have been put in place. I call on the Leader to bring this matter to the attention of the Minister for Social Protection for no other reason than to ensure the pressure is taken off the families who have made these applications and are being frustrated by the system.