Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 733: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for domiciliary care allowance received in each of the past three years to date in 2010; the number granted, refused or pending in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15839/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Since the 1st April 2009 this Department has been accepting new claims for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). This follows the transfer of the scheme from the Health Service Executive on foot of a Government decision to reallocate certain functions between Departments and Agencies as part of the health service reform programme.

In the period 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010 a total of 4575 DCA applications were received in the required format of which 4330 cases have been fully processed by the Department's Medical Assessors. 1594 of these applications have been awarded, 2736 have been deemed not to satisfy the medical criteria for the scheme, while 245 have yet to be finalised. As the Department has only had responsibility for the scheme since April 1 st 2009, statistics on the outcome of applications prior to that date are not held. Where claims are deemed to be ineligible on medical grounds, it is because it is considered that the requirement of care and attention and/or supervision is not substantially in excess of another child of the same age who does not have a disability.

In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds, the applicant may submit additional information and/or ask for the case to be reviewed, this review is carried out by a different Medical Assessor specially designated for this task. Where a person is not satisfied with the decision of a Deciding Officer they may appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 734: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for respite care or respite grants made to his Department in each of the past three years to date; the number granted, refused or pending in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15840/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The respite care grant is an annual payment made to all persons providing full-time care, regardless of means or PRSI contributions, but subject to certain conditions. The grant is payable from the first Thursday in June of the year in question. The grant was extended to all carers in Budget 2005. Prior to this, only those in receipt of certain qualifying payments received the grant. Details of "stand-alone" grant applications received, the number of payments issued and the number of applications refused, for the years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 (to end-March 2010), are detailed in tabular form below. The total number of applications pending at end-December 2009 was 585 and at end March 2010 was 117. Data in relation to the number of applications pending for prior years is not available. Respite Care Grant (stand-alone) applications and payments

Some applications are for grants in respect of more than one year. Such applications are counted as single applications. However, the figures for payments reflect the actual number of payments made for both current and prior years and are thus greater than the number of applications approved. Data in respect of the actual number of applications approved is not available.