Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I welcome the Minister, Deputy Burton, to the Chamber. This is an important issue in her constituency. Every Deputy in the House is affected by it. I know the Minister has a difficult job. Her Department has borne the brunt of the need to deal with many of the effects of the recession. There has been a major increase in the number of people applying for assistance. The Minister has to work within the current budgetary constraints . Her Department is having to deal with the integration of community welfare officers and staff from FÁS. The specific issue I am raising is the average time one has to wait for a claim for carer's allowance to be processed. It was 17 weeks, or over four months, in September 2011. One has to wait longer in the event of an appeal. These delays are causing a real difficulty on the ground for the most vulnerable people. Carers deliver an invaluable service to the community. The level of care and assistance they provide would cost the State much more if our hospitals and community services had to step into the breach. Carers provide their services to a range of people, including older people, those with severe disabilities, people who unfortunately have terminal illnesses and children with special needs. In September 2011, almost 10,000 applicants for carer's allowance were waiting for decisions to be made. I can understand that delays are being caused by the volume of applications. I ask the Minister to do everything she can to hasten the process of ensuring those who qualify for carer's allowance receive payments as quickly as possible.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I thank Deputy Kevin Humphreys for raising this important issue. Approximately 52,000 people are currently in receipt of carer's allowance. Approximately 22,000 of them receive the half-rate carer's allowance in addition to another primary social welfare payment. The rates of payment for carer's allowance were maintained in budget 2012. In addition, no changes were made to the means test for carer's allowance. The current income disregards for eligibility for the allowance - the amounts recipients can earn that are not counted for the means test - are €332 per week for a single person and €655 per week for a couple. The increased payment for those caring for more than one person was also retained. Carers continue to get an annual respite care grant of €1,700 in respect of each person for whom they care. In the third quarter of 2011, the average time taken to award a carer's allowance application was 17 weeks. Figures for the last quarter of 2011 are not yet available as a consequence of the introduction of a new claims processing system in the carer's allowance area. New claims are being processed on the new system but older claims are still being processed on the old system. Figures for processing times in January on the new system will be available shortly.

To meet the challenge of increased volumes of new claims for its schemes, the Department has embarked on a major programme of process redesign and modernisation, including the deployment of new computer systems. This new processing system is being introduced for the carer's allowance scheme. The first tranche of new carer's allowance claims began to be processed under the new system in August 2011. It is anticipated that the new system will introduce significant processing efficiencies and provide a quicker and more responsive service to the customer. Accordingly, the project is being given high priority. As it involves a significant level of time and commitment from the relevant staff in the Department, it has had a short-term negative impact on claim processing times. This is expected to continue until the completion of the modernisation project in June of this year, when all existing carer's allowance claims will be transferred to the new processing system.

Some 7,698 applications are registered as awaiting a decision at present. This marks a reduction from the figure of 8,540 at the beginning of September 2011. I acknowledge that the time taken to process carer's allowance claims at present is not satisfactory. I am satisfied that the Department is taking appropriate steps to resolve the situation. In addition to dealing with the approximately 330 new carer's allowance applications that are received each week, overtime working is being applied to help to reduce the backlogs that have built up. A significant number of months are expected to elapse before the backlog is reduced to an acceptable level. While the new systems and processes will facilitate a significant improvement in overall processing times, it should be noted that individual claims may continue to take some time to process. Delays can also arise if those applying for the allowance are not in a position to supply all the necessary information in support of their claims.

In the meantime, if a person's means are insufficient to meet his or her needs while awaiting a decision on a claim, he or she can apply for a means-tested supplementary welfare allowance payment. As a result of the large increase in the volume of applications, the Department correctly decided to move to a new system that will process claims more efficiently and quickly. This effect will be most noticeable in cases of claims that are completely in order. However, the transition to the new system means it is more complicated. We hope to have this process finished by the end of June.

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I thank the Minister for her response. I am pleased that she will prioritise this matter. Carer's allowance is important to many of the families that make these applications. In December, almost 7,000 people were awaiting decisions on applications for disability allowance. I recognise that the Minister has prioritised this matter, but there is quite a way to go. These delays are having a real impact on families on the ground. I would also like to highlight the delays in processing claims for disability allowance. Some 7,000 people are waiting for decisions to be made. I accept what the Minister has said about prioritising this issue. The backlog needs to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. I am delighted to hear that the required changes and reforms in the process are well under way. I ask the Minister to keep a watchful eye on this and to press forward with the reforms in these areas as quickly and smoothly as possible, for the benefit of applicants.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I agree with what the Deputy is saying. I hope the final outcome will represent a significant improvement. In many cases, the status and eligibility of the claim, and the way it is presented, mean it is highly likely that carer's allowance will be awarded. If we can move to a system whereby the claim is complete when the application is first made, it will be possible for much clearer and faster decisions to be made. Claims that are complete and therefore highly likely to be awarded, in the particular family or individual circumstances that arise with regard to caring, should be facilitated. As in many areas of social protection, in this area there has been a substantial increase in the volume of applications and in the complexity of some of them. The staff of the Department of Social Protection have a good record of responding to changes in the volume and type of applications. I am confident that by the end of June, when we have completed our transition to the new system, there will be a significant improvement in this regard. I appreciate what the Deputy has said about the importance of the carer's allowance. For that reason, I did my best to maintain carer's allowance payments, along with payments to pensioners, in the recent budget.