There seems to be some confusion as between Expressions of Sympathy and Questions on Promised Legislation. We will go back to Deputy Pearse Doherty and I will then come to other Members.

I appreciate that. Since August there have been ongoing problems relating to the payment of illness benefit which have resulted in some of our most vulnerable citizens not getting any payment and others receiving varied payments from week to week. On Tuesday the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, took to her feet and blamed the problems with payments on the transition to a new system. She said that remedial actions were taken by the Department in recent days and that action was taken on two occasions last week. If that is true, these were the first actions taken to resolve the problem. The Minister needs to clarify why it took her so long to take action despite the problem existing for three months. The Minister also stated she ordered an independent review into the changes to the system and how they were made. Can she confirm this review is under way? When will it be published?

Not only did I answer, as the Deputy rightly pointed out, on the Order of Business on Tuesday, but there was also a very lengthy Topical Issue debate where the entire debacle was discussed by me and Deputy Thomas Pringle on Tuesday evening. The Secretary General, the head of the IT department and the assistant secretary were in front of the Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection this morning, so all of the information is in the public domain. Last week was not the first time there was an attempt to rectify this situation, as was laid out in full this morning in the statement issued to the committee. I can put it on the website so the Deputy can have access to it.

To answer the questions, the independent review has been commissioned and a gentleman from the Revenue Commissioners is conducting that review for me. I would expect to have it before Christmas and it will be published as soon as I get it.