Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I am not satisfied that applications are being processed within an acceptable timeframe. The Minister provided examples of payments which are made on time but I will outline cases where delays have occurred. The biggest issue with which we deal is the jobseekers allowance but I also wish to raise the back-to-education allowance. I do not know Deputy Shortall's experience of this issue but I am aware of a significant number of people who have returned to college on the basis of loans from credit unions or family members because their back-to-education allowance claims have not been processed. What are the timeframes for the back to education allowance and, importantly, what can the Minister do to ensure that people are not borrowing on the expectation that they will get something they may well not get?

On the lone parent allowance application, I know of someone who is waiting for a lone parent allowance application to be approved; I actually received an e-mail about it at 2.38 p.m. The person is waiting for the lone parent allowance application to be approved before the person's back-to-education allowance can even be considered. It is necessary to verify that the person is entitled to the first one before ascertaining if the person is entitled to the second one. That person has gone back to college with a very young child and does not know if the back to education allowance will be granted.

The other question I want to ask relates to the jobseeker's allowance. My party has raised this matter numerous times in this House, but I will give the Minister an example which happens to be in my constituency; in Edenderry the waiting time is 22 weeks. The Minister seemed horrified when she learned that on 11 September last, but I raised the matter in this House at least three times this year. In fact, the first time I raised it the waiting time was 16 weeks and the Minister was going to do something about it then. Whatever was done added another six weeks to the waiting time for the people in Edenderry. I wonder how the Minister will address such situations.

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