Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 382: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the customer service targets for his Department and the percentage of these that were met in 2007. [5272/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has adopted challenging customer service targets particularly in relation to the timescales for the processing of claims. The following tabular statement sets out the various customer service targets and the performance figures for the 2007 year. The claim processing targets refer only to new and repeat claims and do not reflect the significant amount of work involved in dealing with changes to current claims e.g. to amend entitlement where a person's circumstances have changed.

The time taken to process a claim is measured by calculating the elapsed time from the date the claim is made until the date of decision. However, no account is taken of the many factors outside my Department's control which can impinge on the time it takes to make a decision e.g. the supply of relevant information by the customer, employers, other third parties or the provision of medical reports. My Department is committed to ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions that apply. These conditions vary from scheme to scheme and may include establishment of a customer's social insurance record, the provision of medical evidence, verification of identity, satisfying residency conditions and an assessment of means where appropriate.