Call for better decisions on social welfare

The effects of wrong and slow decisions on people depending on welfare payments need to be addressed, the head of the Free Legal Advice Centres (Flac) has said.

In its 2015 annual report, the continuing impact of recessionary measures are highlighted by the prominence among over 28,000 queries of issues linked to recession and austerity, such as housing, debt and employment.

Flac chief executive officer Eilis Barry voiced the organisation’s concerns about the disproportionate impact of austerity on vulnerable groups. She singled out the high rate of successful appeals of initial refusals of social welfare applications.