Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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223. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 52 of 7 October 2015, regarding the number of occasions over the past five years that a medical practitioner has been engaged to meet with and assess a child's need, if the statutory criteria are met; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36032/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department does not engage medical practitioner’s to meet children for whom an application for domiciliary care allowance has been made. As outlined in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 52 of 7 October 2015, medical assessments for DCA are conducted by the Department’s medical assessors who, having examined the medical evidence and other supporting information provided by the applicant, provide an opinion on medical eligibility for the benefit of a deciding officer.

Medical assessors do not carry out a physical examination of the child. The diagnosis of the child’s disability/illness is not disputed, the GP/specialist’s diagnosis is accepted, what is under assessment is whether the additional care needed as a result of that disability/illness is substantially in excess of that required by a child of the same age without that disability/illness.

As outlined in the medical guidelines relating to the scheme, it is considered that this is best done by desk assessment using the information provided by the Parent/Guardian, the child’s GP and any other professionals working with the child on a regular basis. A physical examination, is by its nature of limited value and would not paint an accurate picture of the child’s care needs on an average day in their normal home environment.