Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1888. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of disability allowance applications received on a monthly basis by county in 2016 and for the first six months of 2017; the number of these applications that were successful, unsuccessful or returned for further information; the number of applications that were unsuccessful which were granted on the second application or on appeal; the number of the persons who met a doctor on assessment of their first application and in cases in which an appeal was submitted or a second application submitted; the number who met a doctor, for the same period in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38342/17]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To qualify for disability allowance (DA), a person must be substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment, be aged between 16 and 65, satisfy a means test and be habitually resident in the state. An application for DA may be disallowed on the grounds that one or more of the conditions set out above are not satisfied.

Assessments of medical eligibility for DA are based on medical reports and other evidence furnished by the applicant and the applicant’s treating physician. Medical eligibility for DA is not normally assessed by way of an in-person assessment. The Department’s Medical Assessor (MA) reviews the medical evidence provided in support of the application and expresses an opinion based on their findings. The MA does not dispute the existence of the certified cause of incapacity, but rather assesses the degree to which the loss of function in work-related activities, resulting from disease or injury, affects the person’s ability to perform either their own job or alternative types of work. The MA presents their opinion from the assessment for the guidance of the Deciding Officers (DO) in the DA scheme area. In certain cases, where warranted, the MA can recommend that the person undergo an in-person assessment.

From January 2016 to end of June 2017, there were no in-person medical assessments completed for persons applying for DA.

It is not possible to provide all of the data requested in the question. The following table shows the number of DA applications that were received, awarded and disallowed from the start of January 2016 to the end of June 2017. It is not possible to identify those cases where further information was requested before a decision could be made on entitlement or those that were deemed eligible for DA on review by a DO or Appeals Officer (AO). These data are not collated by county.

The following tables show DA recipients per county per month from January 2016 to June 2017.