Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 397: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and awarded family income supplement. [41213/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Family Income Supplement (FIS) is designed to provide income support for employees on low earnings with children and thereby preserve the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if s/he were claiming other Social Welfare payments. My Department received an application for Family Income Supplement from the person concerned on 19th Oct 2006. Her application was referred to a Social Welfare Inspector for investigation. These investigations are now being concluded and any decision regarding the claim will be made with effect from the date of application. The decision will be communicated to the person concerned within the next two weeks.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 398: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of outstanding applications for the carer's allowance; the reason it is taking 12 weeks to process such applications; the action he will take to provide for the speedier processing of such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41235/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Entitlement to carer's allowance is based on an applicant satisfying medical, means and residency conditions. In determining entitlement to the allowance there are, in certain cases, unavoidable time lags involved in making the necessary investigations and enquiries. Delays can also arise if persons applying for the allowance are not in a position to supply all the necessary information in support of their claim.

Many applicants for carer's allowance are already in receipt of another social welfare payment while their claim is being processed. Such payments will normally continue until entitlement to their carer's allowance is determined. There are currently 2,178 pending cases awaiting a decision, of which 67.5% were received within the last eight weeks. The average time for deciding an application for carer's allowance is currently just under 10 weeks. The majority of claims currently on hands will be processed within ten weeks. 8,860 new claims were processed to a final decision up to week ending 24 November 2006. The volume of claims finalised so far this year represents an 11% increase on the total for 2005 and a 19% increase on the total for 2004. There are 27,333 carer's allowances in payment, compared to 25,000 at the end of 2005 and 23,000 at the end of 2004.

The resources available to my Department must be deployed to ensure good customer service, to prevent fraud and abuse of the schemes and to achieve value for money. My Department is engaged in an ongoing process to ensure that available resources are prioritised to the greatest extent possible on front line service delivery and to ensure that the best possible standard of response is provided across the range of schemes and services. The position will continue to be kept under review to ensure that the best possible level of customer service and customer response continues to be provided.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 399: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason there has been a delay in the processing of a claim for unemployment benefit for a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41238/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned applied for Jobseekers Benefit on 25 January 2006. Although the person concerned was living in Ireland, he had been travelling to the UK to work prior to the termination of his employment in December 2005. Delays arose because there was no record of contributions having been paid on his behalf in Ireland or the UK for the relevant years. Following confirmation from the UK authorities that they had no record for the years in question, enquiries were made in relation to PRSI contributions in this country. There were difficulties, however, in tracing the relevant contributions and in relevant conformation was received only recently. The matter has now been resolved and payment of arrears due will issue to the person concerned this week. He has been advised accordingly.

It is regretted that there was an unusually long delay in establishing entitlements in this case. The person was advised that he could apply for jobseekers' allowance pending a decision on his jobseekers' benefit claim but he declined to apply.