David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 248: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the backlog in processing family income supplement claims still exists; if so, the reason for same; when he expects the backlog to be cleared; the reason for delays in processing FIS claims; the action he is taking to address these delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33504/06]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 249: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for family income supplement received to date in 2006; the number of claims which have been processed and are in payment; the number of claims awaiting payment; the length of time it is currently taking his Department to process outstanding claims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33505/06]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 250: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average amount of time in weeks taken to process family income supplement claims in 2004, 2005 and to date in 2006 respectively; the average amount of time it is currently taking his Department to process FIS claims; the longest amount of time it has taken to process a claim in 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33506/06]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 251: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the backlog of claims for family income supplement still exists; if this backlog related solely to new claims or if there is a delay in processing renewal claims; the additional contact his Department has had with the people who await decision of their applications as a result of the delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33507/06]

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for family income supplement received each year respectively since 2003 and to date in 2006; the number of claims which were awarded and the number refused for each year; the percentage breakdown of same; the average amount paid out per claim in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33508/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 to 252, inclusive, together.

The Family Income Supplement (FIS) is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families. Entitlement to FIS is based on an applicant satisfying a means test and on certification of employment by the employer. The income limits were increased significantly in the 2006 Budget and in earlier budgets, enabling more people to qualify.

My Department undertook a nationwide awareness campaign last March to promote and encourage increased take up of the scheme. This extensive week-long campaign included advertising on TV, on national and local radio and in the national and regional press. A nation-wide poster campaign was also undertaken.

In addition, the scheme was promoted through my Department's network of Local Offices, Citizen Information Centres and Citizens Information Phone service and by Comhairle, the national information support agency. Information was also made available through my Department's website.

I am very pleased with the response so far to the campaign. There is a strong upward trend in the numbers applying for the scheme largely as a result of improvements in the income limits. This and the advertising campaign have resulted in a higher than normal number of claims on hand. My Department issues all applicants with an automatic letter of acknowledgement in which customers are advised that there may be a delay before their claim is decided.

There are currently 20,116 people in receipt of a weekly FIS payment. This is an increase of 2,628 or 15% since the beginning of this year. The average value of each FIS payment is over €113 per week.

My Department has received 10,971 new claims so far this year compared with 5,880 for the corresponding period in 2005. A total of 9,497 new claims have been decided.

My Department has also received 16,052 renewal applications compared with 12,359 for the corresponding period in 2005. A total of 13,133 renewal claims have been decided. So far this year a total of 22,630 new and renewal claims have been decided, which is an increase on the total of 22,319 decided over the full year in 2005.

At week ending 13 October 2006 there were 6,386 claims awaiting decision consisting of 2,463 new claims and 3,923 renewal claims. The majority of these claims will be decided within the next two months.

The time taken to decide the individual claim that took the longest time to decide in 2006 is not known. However, the average time taken to award a new claim in 2006 was 7.3 weeks. The average in 2005 was 4.2 weeks while the average in 2004 was 5.5 weeks.

My Department is committed to providing a quality 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. Some improvements have recently been introduced to directly address the efficiency of claim processing for FIS: a review of all existing processes and procedures has been undertaken with the explicit objective of reducing delays in claim processing; priority is being given to claims where a claim is being renewed to ensure continuity of payment; additional staff resources have been assigned specifically to improve the delivery of service. These measures will, over time, lead to more efficient processing and reduce the number of claims on hand. The position will be closely monitored and kept under review by my Department.

The remaining information requested by the Deputy is set out in tabular form as follows: