Smith 'shocked' by welfare appeals delays

A local TD has revealed shocking delays in appeals for key social welfare payments to people in Cavan, Monaghan and across the country. In reply to a Parliamentary Question from Fianna Fáil, the Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton confirmed that hundreds of full-time carers, hundreds of people with disabilities, and hundreds of people with long-term illness have been waiting for over a year to have their appeals for state support processed. Fianna Fáil Deputy Brendan Smith said; "While we don't have specific figures for Cavan and Monaghan, we know that these protracted delays are hitting the most vulnerable people across this region. I have been contacted by a number people here who have suddenly had their state support removed, and have been waiting months to have their appeals heard. "This is causing enormous hardship to people who are unable to work due to severe illness or disability, and to their carers. "The longest delays are in appeals for the Disability Allowance, with 4,169 people nationwide waiting to have their appeals heard. 2,513 of these have been waiting for more than four months, and 321 people are waiting for more than a year. "I am shocked by the scale of the delays in the simple processing of social welfare appeals. There is a growing concern that the Government may be deliberately delaying appeals for months on end in a cynical attempt to cut costs. If there is any truth to this whatsoever, seeking to penalise the most vulnerable in this way would amount to the utmost cruelty. "This situation is particularly worrying coming into the winter period. It is absolutely unacceptable that people in Cavan and Monaghan who are in need of support while they care for loved-one, or someone with a severe illness or disability would be waiting months on end to have legitimate claims processed by the Department. "I am calling on Minister Burton to reassign more staff to the Appeals Office in order to clear this backlog as a matter of priority," he said.