Chaotic breakdown in the delivery of illness benefit
THERE has been a chaotic breakdown in the delivery of illness benefit by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin told the Dáil.
‘People have been left for weeks without payment,’ he said. ‘A Labour Party councillor in Wexford spoke to a woman who is in work, who is awaiting an appointment to have surgery. She has no money to buy food and today she had to resort to getting vouchers from the Society of St. Vincent De Paul. Thank God they were there.’
People have been given minimum payments instead of their full entitlement, he said. ‘In one case I dealt with, a person was offered €33 to cover two weeks payments. In another case, a woman who called to my advice clinic advised she had to wait nine weeks for a payment.’
There is a social protection helpline available
to Members of the Oireachtas, but calls are not being answered effectively, he said. ‘No adequate explanation has been provided by the Department or the Minister as to why this has happened.’
In response, Tánaiste Simon Coveney said his understanding was the Minister for Health was endeavouring to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
‘Of course, it is unacceptable that those who rely on illness benefit are not able to receive the basic income they should expect and are entitled to receive from the State,’ he said.
‘Whether there are IT or negotiation issues in dealing with concerns about delays in obtaining information from GPs, I understand the Minister is dealing with the issue to try to resolve it. People who are in dire need of money should certainly speak to the community welfare officer in the short term, but that is not a sustainable answer.’