‘Unforgiving’ IT system blamed for latest delays in illness benefit

Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty has apologised to illness benefit recipients who did not receive their payment this week.

She says that most should have received the payment into their bank accounts by the evening or over the weekend, depending on their bank.

“We want to resume business as usual on Monday,” she told RTÉ’s News at One.

Delays with payment of illness benefit have been an ongoing issue. The latest problem was caused by an issue with the IT system, she explained. The system is “unforgiving” she said, adding there were “lots of difficult anomalies”.

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“I apologise to the 55,000 who has been distressed by the failure of the system. We have learned an awful lot from what happened.”

Illness benefit is a payment made to people who are unable to work due to illness who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions.

Ms Doherty said 50,000 people had received the correct payment and that the remaining 5,000, depending on their bank, should receive their payment this evening or over the weekend.

The issue had been highlighted on RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline in recent days.

‘It is outrageous’

Fianna Fáil senator Catherine Ardagh said the pace at which the Government had responded to the problem was very slow. "They don't seem to be taking it seriously. It took Liveline to raise the issue.

“It is outrageous. They should set up a dedicated phone line. People have been trying to get through.”

Ms Doherty said the Department of Social Protection had been aware of the issue before it was raised on Liveline. She said a new system had been introduced in August in a bid to make payments faster, but other factors had instead led to problems.

“We have not been covered in glory the past few weeks,” she admitted.

It was not all the same people with the same problem every week, but different people at different times, and for different reasons.

“We now have our head around the issues, including arrears.”

She acknowledged that IT problems were “top of the list”, but that there were also communications issues. “Everything that can be learned will be learned”, with regard to the new systems, she added.

Delays with the benefit are an ongoing problem. In early October the Green Party had called for the Department of Social Protection to urgently address delays of up to five weeks in illness benefit payments to patients.

‘Shocking and unwarranted’

“The withholding of payments to patients when they are unwell is shocking and unwarranted and should be immediately addressed,” the party’s health spokesperson Dr Séamus McMenamin said, adding it was unclear why the department had changed to a new paper-based certification form ahead of the move to electronic certification next year.

In August, civil servants warned they could take industrial action as a result of “aggressive and abusive” calls they were receiving due to delays in paying illness benefit.

Delays in processing the payments stemmed from a dispute between the department and GPs over the introduction of the new illness certification forms.

Some GPs refused to use the new forms and the department said this was leading to “entirely avoidable and unnecessary” delays.

Fórsa, representing the staff concerned, said applicants for illness benefit were facing long delays when they contacted the department looking for information.