Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 447: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason for the delay in processing child benefit applications; and the steps he is taking to address same. [3649/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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There is no delay in processing the majority of Child Benefit and Early Childcare Supplement awards. Awards on behalf of Irish — born children are processed either automatically or in a partially automated way using the child's birth details when they are registered with the General Registrar's Office. Parents are contacted by the Child Benefit office within two days of the registration of their child's birth. The Early Childcare Supplement is paid automatically when Child Benefit is awarded. Payments on behalf of some 65,000 children were paid this way in 2007.

Currently there are delays in processing Child Benefit for children born outside Ireland – both where the children are living here with their parents and for children living in other EU countries who have a parent or parents working in Ireland. These cases are slower to process as the customer must satisfy the Habitual Residency condition test and this may entail contacting employers, Department of Justice and other relevant bodies to confirm their status in the state. The residency of the children in Ireland must also be confirmed.

EU nationals who come to work in Ireland but whose families remain in their home country may have an entitlement to Family Benefits in Ireland under EU Regulation 1408/71. Before payment of Child Benefit is made for non-resident children it is necessary to contact the authorities in the country of residence of the children to confirm details and establish what, if any, family benefits are payable in the home country as this will determine entitlement to Irish payments.

The process in respect of EU nationals with non resident children can take a number of months to complete in normal circumstances and, as a result the number of claims that have been finalised to date is relatively small.

The number of claims received from EU nationals for non resident children is down approximately 50% on the same period last year. Additional temporary staff and overtime work is being applied to process these claims and this, along with the reduction in the number of claims, will result in an improvement during 2008.