Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

86. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied with the processing times for current social welfare payments that require a medical assessment. [24201/14]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

123. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the current waiting times for carers' allowance applications; the reason for the delays; if she is concerned by the distress and hardship these delays give rise to; and the further steps she will take to speed up processing times. [24119/14]

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister is probably aware of the long period of time it takes for the processing of claims for social welfare payments, particularly for people seeking a disability or invalidity allowance, whether they are agreed or refused. Almost everybody who comes to my office in regard to this problem has been waiting six, seven, eight or nine months or even longer for the claim to be dealt with. The complicated nature of the application is causing huge problems for people and for submitting their information. What does the Minister plan to do to address this?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 123 together.

I assure the Deputies that provision of good customer service is paramount to the Department and there is a good understanding and awareness of the importance of medical-related schemes to customers. A total of €3.4 billion was spent on illness, disability and caring schemes in 2013, including a total of €2.5 billion on the four main schemes involving a medical assessment - namely, disability allowance, invalidity pension, carer’s allowance and domiciliary care allowance.

The current processing times for the main illness and caring schemes are as follows.

These processing times are a significant improvement over previous processing times and the numbers of people awaiting a decision at the time when I came into office. The average number of weeks to decide on a new carer's allowance application has decreased from approximately 26 weeks at that time to a current average of 12 weeks. I compliment the staff in the Department of Social Protection who have worked with all their might and main to overhaul the system I found in place when I became Minister and to produce these improvements. On the question of whether there is room for more improvement, we are working on that constantly.

There are currently approximately 3,500 carer's allowance applications awaiting decision. The equivalent number in 2012 was 11,600. I know the Deputies value public service staff, but in this case I believe the staff of the Department should be recognised for the hard work they have done to slash waiting times for all of these allowances.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister may be satisfied that she has cut the processing times down from what they were two years ago, but there are still people coming to my office who have been waiting longer than that. This happens in particular when the Department comes back to the person seeking another letter from the doctor or more medical evidence in regard to the claim and application. Recently, we found we had to ring from the Oireachtas line in regard to a case from November 2013, but the office was unable to tell us when that claim would be processed.

Several things would facilitate a quicker turnaround of claims, one of which would be simpler application forms. Another would be if someone were to sit down with people and tell them exactly what was required from their doctor in terms of medical evidence. When a doctor writes to the panel and verifies that a person is disabled, very ill and that his or her condition will not improve, the panel should accept this, rather than refusing the application.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

If departmental staff were to do that, they would end up before the Committee of Public Accounts facing complaints. When people are given allowances, there are procedures which must be followed, otherwise the Deputy's colleagues on the Committee of Public Accounts would be complaining. There is a procedure in place, but one of the good things about the Irish system, unlike that in other countries, is that we allow people to constantly submit new information. If, when they apply initially, they do not submit all of the necessary information or if their doctor writes a less than clear letter, we allow them to provide further evidence or an explanation.

On the issue of the design of the forms used, I must agree with the Deputy. In fact, when it came to the revision of the domiciliary care allowance forms, we brought in the National Adult Literacy Agency, NALA, to help us to redesign them, taking into account the fact that some people might not be as strong in reading forms as others. We are in the process of redesigning the forms, but if the Deputy has specific suggestions to make, I would be delighted to hear them because I am anxious to facilitate people in obtaining their entitlements. That is what the schemes are for.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge that the changes made in recent years have been beneficial, in the main, in that people are not waiting as long as in the past. However, it is still very frustrating for those who make an application for carer's allowance or another allowance and who, on inquiring about their application, are told that processing has not even begun and or that it will take a number of months. Flowing from this, one of the problems identified last year was that wrong decisions were being made and many applications ended up in the social welfare appeals office. Following the changes in the assessment of applications, has the accuracy of decisions improved? In the past, up to 50% of the original decisions by social welfare deciding officers were overturned on appeal.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The area of disability payments, for example, is still undergoing reform. At the end of April 2013 over 4,000 people were awaiting a decision, whereas in April 2014, the number was down to 2,750. The average processing time of disability allowance applications going through the social welfare appeals system has dropped from 10.2 weeks in 2013 to 9.6. Departmental delays have been reduced considerably, too. I can supply tables to the Deputy outlining the progress made.

Deputies Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Joan Collins have a particular insight into this area and it is critically important that they share with us their ideas on how the schemes could be improved. It is important to provide income support for those who are entitled to it. That means, among other things, that medical advisers have to be very clear. The quality of information provided by them can vary wildly from case to case, but we will continue to work to improve processing times. In that context, I compliment the staff involved. Sometimes people can be very critical of public servants, but staff in my Department are working very hard to improve the system and have done so.