Sir, - In your article on Disability Allowances (The Irish Times, October 6th) it is noted that a Domiciliary Care Allowance is payable to the family of a disabled child living at home. What your correspondent failed to mention is that in the Republic parents of such children are presently ineligible to apply for a grant until their child attains two years of age. Those years are precisely the time that these parents feel most abandoned and emotionally distraught.
This anomaly seems to exist for two reasons, one which is harshly brutal and the other factually incorrect. Historically the State supposed that many of these babies would succumb, probably before they left the maternity hospital. However, advances in medicine have dramatically decreased the incidence of infant mortality.
Then there is the contention that all babies need special attention and therefore disabled babies need no special care over and above that of a healthy baby. Anyone who has had to witness their baby crying for 24 hours, suffering epileptic seizures or apnoea attacks or has had to change a naso-gastric tube would give no countenance to such a spurious and cruel argument.
Over recent months this foundation, with assistance from the Disability Federation of Ireland, has lobbied all parties for reform of this rule. We have been greatly heartened by the reaction of all elected representatives and senior officials in the Department of Health and are hopeful that this heartless anomaly will be removed before the New Year. - Yours, etc. Jonathan Irwin,
Chairman, Jack and Jill Foundation, Naas, Co Kildare.