Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The CWS is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring applications are processed and decisions on entitlement are made quickly. There are no backlogs at present and work on hand is within the scheme's normal processing levels. Complete applications are mostly finalised within two weeks and there is less than two weeks' work in process currently.

It is important to note that, where it is clear a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure the claim is processed on the same day. CWOs are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response. Approximately 10% of CWS payments to customers are made on this basis, which shows how responsive the service is to urgent customer need.

Where an application cannot be finalised promptly, the delay is normally due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support his or her application and the length of time it takes for the information to be provided. This can result in longer processing times for these applications as greater flexibility is given to clients, with extended time to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application is processed quickly.

I would appreciate if the Deputy would let me know of any persons who are having difficulty in accessing support for a deposit or first month's rent. Much effort and resources have been applied to the CWS over recent months to ensure it is a responsive and available service for people. I trust this clarifies the matter.

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