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Seriously ill mum cut from budgeting scheme

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

A CRITICALLY ill Northside mum says she is buried in debt after being cut off from a State home budgeting scheme.
The Ballymun local, who is currently waiting on two lung transplants, claims she is struggling financially because she is no longer eligible for the scheme because her student son is too old.
Claire Keeley (54) suffers from emphysema, which is a chronic respiratory disease, and osteoporosis. She is fully dependent on an electrical oxygen supply and is patiently waiting for two lung transplants.
However, despite her serious health conditions, she says it is her financial situation which has her at her wits end.
“I have rent arrears of over e1,000 and a pile of bills to pay which are almost e900,” she told Northside People.
“I used to be able to cope when I was on the scheme as I would get a certain amount off my bills but now I’m trying to pay the whole lot off on my own.
“It may not be so bad if the cost of living was not increasing so much.”
According to Claire, she was not entitled to the allowance this year because her son who shares her home is still studying in college and is over 26 years of age.

“Everything changed appar- ently when he turned 26,” she explained,
“It’s so frustrating particularly since he is in his final year of his Masters in college.
“I don’t see why I should be penalised because my son wanted to further his education.
“I really think it’s so unfair that my son now feels guilty for wanting to finish his course because of the affect it has on my allowance.”
Claire is pleading to the Department of Social and Family Affairs to make an exception to the rules.
“I’ve worked since I was 14 years of age,” she said.
“I’ve got enough health worries to think of. I’m not asking for a lot, just some leniency and discretion rather than hard-fast bureaucracy.”
Claire’s youngest son Dylan explained what affect the situation is having on the family.
“Every day was a struggle as it was, my mother didn’t need this extra concern,” he said.
“It’s hard to get by. The bills are really quite high but my mother needs heat in the house and as well as that I think the oxygen machine uses up a lot of electricity as it is always on.”
He added: “I also feel sorry for my older brother who is in college because he is under so much pressure because of all this.
“It’s not his fault but he feels like it is. It’s unfair to expect him to drop out when he has come to his final year so that he can get a job and contribute to the family home.”
According to local councillor, Dessie Ellis (SF), the situation is “ridiculous”.
“I’ve raised the matter with Minister Hanafin of the Department of Social and Family Affairs and I’m not having any luck with it,” he told Northside People.
“I thought that there surely must be some leniency for exceptional circumstances.
“It’s really disappointing that there is no degree of flexibility for people like Claire.”
When contacted, the Department of Social and Family Affairs said it was unable to comment on individual cases..

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