‘In crisis’ benefits rules must be clarified

Parts of the benefits system for disabled and vulnerable people are in “crisis”, a Government TD has warned.

Following the Irish Examiner’s revelation on Monday that the refusal rate for a disability allowance has risen from 54% to 61%, demands for an overhaul of the way vulnerable people are treated have been expressed from across the Dáil.

Fine Gael TD Simon Harris said it was appalling that 16-year-olds on the autistic spectrum could be called before a board to justify a switch from domiciliary care allowance