John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average waiting time in processing applications from the receipt of the application to the decision on the claim for means tested payments (details supplied) in each of the social welfare regions here; if she has identified particular areas within these regions where there are longer waiting periods; if she will provide details of same; her plans to reduce the waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31975/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Disability Allowance, Carers Allowance, State Pension (Non Contributory), Widows Pension (non Contributory) schemes are administered centrally in HQ areas and as a consequence statistics for these schemes are maintained on a national basis. Statistics and processing times are compiled on a regional basis for the means tested schemes administered in the Local and Branch Offices throughout the country. Those schemes are Jobseekers Allowance and One-Parent Family Payment. The tabular statement below shows the average weekly processing time, by region, for Jobseekers Allowance and One-Parent Family claims decided in August.

The Department has identified a number of locations where the increasing number of claims for means tested payments warrants the allocation of additional Social Welfare Inspectors. Arising from this, an additional 40 Inspectors are being assigned. In addition, a number of process improvement initiatives have been introduced in Local Offices recently which will also improve processing times. These include:

a system which involves dealing with customers by appointment and deciding claims, where possible, when the customer attends for their appointment. This initiative has greatly reduced processing times for a significant number of customers and will be in operation in 20 local offices by the end of this month. It is intended to extend this system to other offices over the coming months.

a more streamlined procedure for claimants moving to jobseekers allowance when their jobseekers benefit expires and

a streamlined process for people who had a claim in the previous 2 years

The 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 made as expeditiously as possible. All aspects of claim processing are kept under constant review and improvements are implemented on a continuous basis.