Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 414: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be called for reassessment in respect of their disability allowance claim. [40903/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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An application for disability allowance by the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department following an examination by a Medical Assessor on 10 June 2008 who considered her to be medically unsuitable for the allowance.

She appealed this decision and, in the context of this appeal, she was examined by a second Medical Assessor on 15 August 2008 who also expressed the opinion that she was medically unsuitable for disability allowance.

I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in the light of this second medical opinion, she was afforded an opportunity of setting out the complete and up to date grounds of her appeal and to furnish any further medical evidence she wished to submit. Her reply, along with the further medical evidence was sent to the Chief Medical Advisor on 9 September 2008, who expressed the opinion that this evidence did not affect the previous findings by the Medical Assessors.

The case has now been referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing. The person concerned will be informed when arrangements have been made.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of the Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.