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SOCIAL PROTECTION MINISTER Regina Doherty has apologised to the people affected by the delays in Illness Benefit payments, saying that issues with her Department’s new IT system have been rectified.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One this afternoon, Doherty said that she was hopeful that any outstanding payments will be issued this evening or over the weekend.
“What was a move to bring efficiency to the system has caused nothing but distress.
“The most important thing I can say today is that I’m 99% confident that of the 55,000 customers who get a weekly payment off us, over 50,000 of them have received the correct payment this week.
“The remaining five thousand will receive it either today or over the weekend,” Doherty said.
The Minister told the News at One she couldn’t be 100% positive that all the issues have been resolved, explaining the implementation of a new IT system was the main problem.
‘Business as usual’
As previously reported by TheJournal.ie, people began to complain of delays in payments back in August but the department initially blamed the issue on GPs.
The Department introduced a new claim form (IB1) and a new medical certificate (MED1) to replace the previous MC1 and MC2 forms for certification of the Department’s illness and injury benefit schemes but claimed that GPs continued to use old forms despite the system changeover.
Speaking today, Doherty said that the claim forms are creating separate issues to the IT system delays, adding that negotiations are ongoing between GP representative groups and the Department in relation to the problems arising from the changes.
The IT problem occurred when the system moved from a payment-in-arrears system to a real-time payment system, according to Doherty.
“Which meant in August we had an overpayment, lots of people didn’t notice so when we corrected to recoup the overpayment in an underpayment a number of weeks ago, they certainly would have noticed that. Going to a real-time system then caused splits in payments.”
Doherty said that this has been a learning curve for the Department and that, in the future, IT systems will be fully tested before being implemented.
The Minister’s interview on RTÉ was the first time she had apologised publicly for the distress caused and took the opportunity to thank the 250 staff members that work in the Illness Benefit section.
“We haven’t crowned ourselves in glory for the last couple of weeks but a particular tribute to the people in the department in that area who have had to listen to very stressed customers and upsurge in calls.”
Doherty concluded that she hopes things will be “business as usual” for the Illness Benefit sector on Monday.
A number of people have spoken to TheJournal.ie about their experience with the Department since the delays began in August.
One woman said she had to join Twitter just to get in touch with the Department as they hadn’t answered her calls or responded to any of her emails about the delay in her payments.
“I’m a very proud person so feel a little embarrassed to have to rely on the State to live, my head just isn’t in a good place at the moment and therefore I can’t work,” she told TheJournal.ie last month.
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RTE have too much power here we are in the middle of a pandemic and they have an army of tv licence inspectors touring the country spreading the virus
@Richard Russell: huh…..
@Richard Russell: lol
@Richard Russell: worst whataboutery ever
@Richard Russell: in fairness tv licence guy works for an post not rte
About time
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: yes, this now paves the way for Chinese companies to take over and be the most powerful and richest companies on the New York Stock Exchange in the next 10-15 years. I’ve a funny feeling China won’t mind them being too big when this happens.
@The Upside-down Triangle: takeovers can be blocked under all sorts of laws
@DJ François: no I mean Chinese companies will surpass American ones as the most powerful. There’s already more Chinese companies listed on the S&P 500 than American ones for the first time in history.
Google is one of the most dangerous companies in the world, with stated aims of directly influencing people to make decisions that they want them to make. They have been found to also be meddling with democracy and interfering with elections. There has and is ongoing cases against them for same. They are also invested in many other activities like oil and gas exploration while pretending to be green.
@Da_Dell: if you haven’t seen or heard of it, look up The Social Dilemma on Netflix.
@Celtic Spirit: Is that the one about Facebook, Ive seen one by PBS ? Truly shocking stuff.
Search, not with google of course for the Google head of UX leaked video, or any of the Google whistleblowers that have been brave enough to leave.
RTE have too much power, we are in the middle of a pandemic and they have an army of tv licence inspectors touring the country spreading the virus
@Richard Russell: you ok hun?
@Richard Russell: An army of them, on tour? Clearly a well planned coup! Tell us more.
@Richard Russell: you can say that again…..
@Rachel O’ Meara: did you not hear it’s part of the new police state. It’s the end of the world. Gemma o d and her cronies warned us. We should of listened. LOL!!
@K C: Clearly we were all wrong, wonder if it’s to do with 5G? That’ll be it you know, tv inspectors in disguise working on behalf of R.T.E going around installing 5G brain chips in us while we’re asleep so R.T.E can control us for the government and big pharma. It’s such a dastardly plan, can’t believe we were lulled into such a false sense of security. Well we all know now so take heed people, sleep with your eyes open from now on that way you’ll see them coming for you. Gemms and her cronies are having panic attacks reading our comments I’d say! Relax lads it’s as made up as the stuff Gemms herself comes out with.
@Rachel O’ Meara: yep it’s 5G and the illuminati. We should make Gemma our dictator and there would be no problems in the country haha
@Richard Russell: bit early to be on the sauce Ricky
That worked so well when they did it with the phone company in America. A couple decades later they all merged back in to a handful of companies who now operate as a single oligarchy.
@Wade Wilson: True, but they have to try, start somewhere.
Break em up!
Oh the hypocrisy…
Microsoft?
have your say