Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Andrew Doyle, to the House. I acknowledge this is not his area of expertise but I appreciate that he is here to consider my worthy request.

Many people applying for the carer's allowance are coming to my office. A lady whose ten-year old daughter is very ill told me it took 17 weeks for her application to be assessed. The husband of a woman with pancreatic cancer who applied for a carer's allowance was told it would take up to 17 weeks just to process his application. A man caring for his wife, who cannot go out on her own, was not awarded the carer's benefit for one year. It seems to be taking an awfully long time. Many of those affected are very ill. They are so dependent on their loved ones for care. The carers are saving the State money because the people being cared for are in their own homes and being looked after by their loved ones. Sometimes, however, there is no income in the household while an application is being considered. Is it possible to address this? Is there a shortage of staff? What is the problem? What is occurring is another hurdle to be overcome by people who are at a certain stage of their lives and who are very ill.