Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 12 Jul 1990

Vol. 401 No. 6

Written Answers. - ME Disease.

Ivan Yates

Question:

144 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Social Welfare the arrangements he has made to ensure proper understanding of the ME disease by the medical referees employed by his Department in determining eligibility for disability benefit; if his attention has been drawn to the particular difficulties of individuals such as a person (details supplied) in County Waterford, who are continually not being found incapable of work and are losing their benefit; and if the individual case will be reconsidered on an appeal basis.

Minister for Social Welfare (Dr. Woods)

My Department recognises Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or ME as it is commonly known, as a certifiable incapacity. As ME is a very difficult condition to diagnose, it can take some time before a person is finally diagnosed as having ME. In the intervening period, claimants are usually certified as being incapable of work from some other cause. As a result of this, perhaps, and also due to the relatively low incidence of the condition, my Department sees very little certification that actually specifies the cause if incapacity as ME.

I met with representatives from the ME Association earlier this year. Senior officials concerned with the administrative and medical certification work in this general area also attended. I assured the representatives from the ME Association of our fullest co-operation in regard to the dissemination of information and the understanding of ME. I also assured them that my Department would keep in touch with international development. Arising from this meeting additional information on ME was distributed to all the Department's doctors. In addition, as part of my Department's policy of keeping up to date with current medical issues, a number of our medical personnel recently attended a special session given by the Irish College of Occupational Medicine on the topic of ME. Also, my Department's medical adviser attended the First World Symposium on ME held in Cambridge, UK, in April and a full report on these proceedings was issued to all medical referees.

All disability benefit and invalidity pension claims are subject to the normal medical evaluations by the Department's medical referees. In arriving at a conclusion on any particular case the medical referee has regard to all relevant evidence provided and in particular to comments submitted by the claimant's own general practitioner. In the instances in which a person is called before a medical referee his or her doctor is informed and invited to submit appropriate information in relation to the case. It is important to get as much information as possible from the person's doctor in all instances, but particularly so in conditions such as ME where the person's doctor can provide information on the nature of his/her patient's complaint over a period.

The person concerned was examined by a medical referee on 26 April 1990 who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. Payment of disability benefit was therefore disallowed from 4 May 1990.

He appealed against this decision and was examined by a different medical referee on 21 June 1990 who also expressed the opinion that he was capable of work. He was notified of the result of this examination and asked if he wished his case to be referred to an appeals officer. The Deputy's representations have been accepted as a "Notice of Appeal" and the case will now be referred to an appeals officer. Should the appeals officer consider that an oral hearing is necessary, the person concerned will be notified of the time and place to attend.