Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My Department is committed to providing quality service to all, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made in a timely manner. We absolutely understand the pressures people face, and we ensure that claims are processed quickly and efficiently.

There are almost 170,000 people in receipt of disability allowance, DA, and more than 100,000 people in receipt of carer's allowance. The number of people in receipt of DA has increased by almost 50%. The number of people in receipt of carers allowance has increased by 67% over the past ten years. The processing times for individual claims may vary in accordance with the relative complexity of each application, particularly in terms of the main qualifying criteria, each individual's circumstances and the information that is provided in support of the claim.

When determining suitability for disability allowance, evidence needs to be examined in respect of the medical condition involved, the extent to which it restricts a person from taking up employment, their means and habitual residency. Similarly, when examining suitability for carer's allowance, caring needs are also examined. To assist the Department to make timely and fair decisions, we need to ensure we have completed forms and that supporting documentation is attached. Claims with incomplete information take longer to process.

In recent years, my Department has introduced a wide range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims using modern technology. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised. I am pleased to inform Deputy Stanley that we are currently meeting and exceeding our processing target for the disability allowance scheme, which aims to award 75% of applications within ten weeks. For carer's allowance, we aim to award 80% of applications within ten weeks. The average processing time for both schemes is six weeks. I will certainly engage with the Deputy with regard to any specific case that falls outside of those periods. We are continuously trying to reduce those processing times.

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