Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is like a kangaroo court. There have been no meetings. There has been no attempt to do this in a fashion, as is normal, that complies with the Standing Orders that have applied in this and the other House for many years. I am disappointed at the way in which the power and duties of the select committee have been usurped. We have been sidelined. Maybe we should be disbanded. I am not sure. Perhaps that is a matter for another day.

On another matter, I ask the Leader to request the Minister for Finance or the Taoiseach to come to the House to set my mind at rest on a matter that has been bothering me for a number of months. Is there a serious attempt, in a most abnormal fashion, to delay the payment of various grants in an effort to appease the troika or to cook the books in order that the balance of payments position looks better at the end of the year? It is appalling that there has been a delay of 12 months in the case of some students in the issuing of SUSI grants. The processing of some medical card appeals - I have been involved with several - has taken nine to 12 months. I know of a case in which a woman has been waiting 18 months for processing of her carer's allowance application. The home help service has suffered significant cuts. I have been told by a social welfare officer that the delays involved in the processing of payments for people in my area who have applied for farm assist are between nine and 12 months. I appeal to the Leader, which is something I rarely do, to ensure such shenanigans are not allowed to continue. After all my time in politics, I now find it is taking an abnormal length of time to process payments for which the applicants are eligible, be it social welfare payments, farm assist payments, medical cards or benefit appeals.

Moreover, the position is getting worse, and this practice should come to an end. Next week, I intend to propose an amendment to the Order of Business to have either the Minister for Finance or the Minister of State at the Department of Finance come to the House to offer an explanation in this regard.