Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I see. Based on figures supplied by the Department, for a person who applies for carer's allowance and is refused and must attend an oral hearing, the total time from beginning to end is 41.1 weeks, which is a long time. For an invalidity pension application, the total time is 58.9 weeks, longer than a year. For a jobseeker's allowance application, where there is a question about a means test, it is 40 weeks, or eight months. This applies to people who are very vulnerable, poor and, in many cases, ill. The Minister of State has indicated that he is aiming for new and improved timescales to be introduced as a matter of urgency. The rate of success in appeals regarding these entitlements is extraordinary, which indicates that there must be something wrong with the initial application process. The proportion of appeals which are successful is 60% for some of those benefits.

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