David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 262: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the decentralisation process has been completed with regard to the decentralisation of the OPFP processing and payment system to local social welfare offices; if he will report on the improvements that the decentralisation of the OPFP has brought about, in particular with regard to the speed of the application and assessment process; the number of OPFP applications currently awaiting assessment; the average time a claim takes to be processed and decided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3599/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The processing of one-parent family claims has heretofore been carried out in the social welfare services office in Sligo. Following a review of the arrangements for administering the scheme, it was decided that services should in future be provided through my Department's local offices. The primary aim of providing services at local level is to improve customer service by reducing claim processing times through closer linkage with the local investigative officer network, and by providing more direct local contact for lone parents with the Department's employment support services.

My Department currently processes new applications for one-parent family payment, OPFP, at 36 social welfare local offices. Plans are in place to move claims, already in payment, which are currently administered in Sligo, to social welfare local offices during 2006 and for this move to be finalised early in 2007.

The time taken to process individual new claims varies significantly having regard to the necessity to establish the circumstances in each case. There is an onus on claimants to make a claim in the prescribed manner, furnish all necessary documentation, including birth and-or marriage certificates, details of earnings, etc. and co-operate with investigating officers during the processing of the claim.

Some 17,000 claims for one-parent family payment are received each year, equivalent to 330 per week on average. There are currently 3,608 one-parent family payment applications awaiting final decision. In addition to processing new claims, there is significant ongoing interaction with existing clients. Generally, recipients of one-parent family payment are in a relatively young age bracket and are likely to move in and out of employment, education or training on a regular basis or to have other changes in their family or household circumstances during the course of their entitlement to payment. Approximately 70,000 existing cases — an average of 1,300 per week — are reviewed for these reasons each year.

Before my Department commenced the process of administering one-parent family payment applications at local level, the average processing time was 16 weeks. At present the average processing time for an application for the one-parent family payment is seven weeks. Every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible and minimise the time during which applicants have to rely on alternative forms of support. However, the time needed to decide on claims to one-parent family payment does not result in any loss of payment to the people concerned as entitlements are backdated to the date of initial claim receipt.