Illness benefit payment delays
Deputy O'Dea reported abrupt reductions and interruptions in illness benefit payments and said claimants could not get through to the Department. Deputy Moynihan backed him and said computer system changes had left people waiting, while the Minister blamed a modernisation transition and promised the old forms would still be accepted.
Among the many wonderful things promised in the programme for Government is, at page 7, improved delivery of services. In that context, is the Government aware of the plight of people who are either in receipt of, or applying for, illness benefit at present? Many of those people have had their illness benefit suddenly reduced. I got a text in the last five minutes from somebody who got €33 this week instead of the €198 they were entitled to get. Some are now paid intermittently and, in some cases, payment has stopped completely. Nobody can get through to the relevant section of the Department, including me.
I have had a number of calls from senior officials in the Department of Social Protection itself, not to mention from community welfare officers, CWOs, who have told me they are frustrated with the lack of response to tens of thousands of the most vulnerable people in the country. I questioned the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection in the House a couple of weeks ago in regard to the change of forms, and she assured me everything was under control and about to return to normal. It has not returned to normal; it has got far worse. Can the Minister tell me what the Government is going to do about delivering an adequate service to these most vulnerable citizens?
Comment on this
I would like to support my colleague. The process has ground to a halt. There is no contact with the Department, good, bad or indifferent. The information I have is that there was some change in computer systems during the summer. No illness benefit payments are being made and people are being told to go to their CWO. Illness benefit is a contributions based system. To go through the CWO takes weeks and people are being left without money.
Comment on this
I understand, and Deputies will be aware of the fact, there is a challenge regarding the modernisation of the payment arrangements. I assure Deputies whose constituency offices may have queries on this issue that the old forms in respect of illness benefit will still be accepted and discussions are ongoing on the matter of the new software systems which have been put in place. The object of the exercise is to enhance the process, and that will happen. I very much regret there is something of a delay in respect of that transition period but every effort is being made to reach a resolution.