Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 540: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the expected timescale between an application for unemployment assistance, unemployment benefit, disability benefit, disability allowance, invalidity benefit or invalidity allowances; and the date of payment of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29253/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to providing quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may include establishment of the customer's social insurance record, the provision of medical certificates of incapacity, verification of a customer's identity, satisfying residency conditions and an assessment of means where appropriate. In some cases there is an unavoidable time lag involved in making the necessary inquiries to enable decisions to be made. Time can also elapse through delays caused by applicants not supplying all the necessary information in support of their claim.

On average, the current length of time taken to award claims for disability benefit is one week. Claims for unemployment benefit take from two to three weeks and unemployment assistance range from three to four weeks. Claims for invalidity pension take an average of nine to ten weeks to process and cases where the conditions of entitlement are more complex, such as in disability allowance, currently require between 13 and 14 weeks on average to finalise. Once a claim is decided, payment is normally made within one week, with arrears backdated to the application date of the claim.

Improving customer service is a priority on my Department's agenda. The over-riding consideration in processing claims is to ensure that customers receive their correct entitlement and decisions are not taken until all appropriate information is received. Customers who are in need of financial support while their claims are being processed can obtain supplementary welfare allowance during this period from local community welfare officers.