Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

This was raised with me by constituents who found it would take 15 weeks to process their claim, something they did not expect. They pointed out that their circumstances had disimproved because they had taken on the role of carer. At this most vulnerable time in their lives, they expected State support and were disappointed to find such a long delay in securing an allowance.

I understand there can be complex cases but the vast majority of cases are straightforward. Is there any explanation for the increase in the number of claims? Could it be related to people being concerned about keeping their relatives out of hospital because of their worries about the health service?

Nine weeks is a long optimum time. I can understand that there will be cases that will take nine weeks because investigation is necessary, but I am surprised that most cases take more than four weeks. Why is that the case?

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