The Social Protection Minister has said the suggestion that officials had been hostile to parents of children with a disability or were refusing to award the Domiciliary Care Allowance was simply wrong.
Joan Burton said that spending on the scheme and the associated respite care grant has increased year-on-year, as have the numbers receiving the payment.
A Private Members' motion expressing concern about the removal of the Domiciliary Care Allowance and the effect it would have on disabled people and their families was debated in the Dáil last night.
Independent TD Catherine Murphy put forward the motion on behalf of the Dáil's Technical Group.
She said there was mounting evidence that children with autism or other intellectual disabilities were being targeted for payment reviews.
Deputy Murphy said the move was cynical as it did not protect the most vulnerable group in society, adding that a more holistic and social model needed to be adopted.
Independent TD Thomas Pringle said the system should be amended to ensure that families can get support and protection instead of ''barriers and struggle''.
Finian McGrath said all the talk about inclusion amounted to "empty words", which were useless unless people were treated fairly.
Ms Burton said a net 3,000 extra children had been awarded the allowance since her Department took over the running of the scheme in 2009.
She said she knew of the heroic efforts by parents to support their children and she was well aware of the vital role of the various income supports to parents.
Ms Burton pointed out that the issue of services was not directly supplied by her Department and that many of the matters raised in the motion were issues for the Health Service Executive.
Minister Burton said staff in the Department of Social Protection understood the concerns of parents and the pressures they were dealing with.
She assured the House there had been no cutbacks in relation to this area and no policy initiatives to cut back.
She said over 6,000 extra children have been awarded the DCA since responsibility passed from the HSE to the Department in 2009.
A quarter of the children now in receipt of the payment were awarded it by the Department of Social Protection.
