“I don’t know what they’re living on. It certainly causes quite acute difficulty for them,” says the SDLP MLA Tommy Gallagher.

    He has been approached by a number of people who have been waiting for months for the benefits to which they are entitled. “I had an individual from Lisnaskea who hadn’t heard anything for 40 weeks,” he explains. “Fortunately we have had that resolved.

    “I’m working on one at the moment where the person hasn’t had any response at all in 14 months. It will be interesting to see what that one throws up,” he adds.

    The people who are suffering financial hardship are among the most vulnerable in our society.

    “I know that one of them is actually caring for other family members despite their own disability, simply because they don’t have any choice,” explains Mr. Gallagher.

    He says the long delays in processing claims stem from changes in the benefits system and the introduction of new tax credits for the family, the disabled and the elderly.

    “A large number of people are experiencing difficulties with the tax credit system. This is particularly noticeable since the introduction of the Pension Tax Credit last October,” he says.

    The television advertisement showing money lying all over the place for pensioners to simply pick up has proved a far cry from the reality and the difficulty many older people face in getting their hands on the cash. And they are not alone.

    “There is a serious ongoing problem for people claiming DLA. I have several cases where individuals made an application 12 months ago but they still haven’t been dealt with. There is also dissatisfaction with the length of waiting time for DLA appeals to be heard,” he adds.

    Some people have seen their benefits cut.

    “That can be quite a significant drop in their income; anything from £20 to £40 a week,” says Mr. Gallagher.

    He believes the tax credit system was introduced without proper planning; that the government pushed it through without much preparation and that the staff involved in processing and paying claims had to go through a learning process and did not have enough help.

    Mr. Gallagher has met Stormont Minister John Spellar at the Department of Social Development to discuss the problems.

    “At the meeting I pointed out to John Spellar that people were being denied the support they needed because the system just wasn’t coping, either with the Pension Credits or the DLA. “They don’t deny there are problems. They say they have agreed a new strategy that should help deal with these problems but again it’s going to take a bit of time to work its way in,” he says.

    As a result of the long delays he is receiving at least half a dozen complaints a week at his constituency office in Enniskillen.

    “They have told us they are hoping, if their plans work, to process claims in 40 rather than 90 days,” says Mr. Gallagher.

    In some cases people in receipt of DLA have had their allowances cut. An appeal against a cut in benefits can take a couple of months. Again Mr. Gallagher has been promised action to speed up the process.

    And while some have been left struggling to make ends meet, others have been in the money - temporarily at least - because of “terrible blunders” by social security staff.

    Mr. Gallagher knows of a couple who had been receiving Working Family Tax Credit. When one of them got a job and notified the Department they were surprised when their benefit payments increased. The Department was made aware of the mistake and went about reclaiming the amount that had been overpaid but staff made a further error in demanding hundreds of pounds too much!

    Mr. Gallagher says any elderly person experiencing difficulty in obtaining Pension Credits should telephone the advice line on 0808 1006165 or his office on 66342848.