Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the average length of time being taken by her to assess an application for rent supplement; the number of such applications she receives on average per month, together with the number of applications which are granted, refused or are subject of a request for further information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26491/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The timescale for determining applications for rent supplement is dependant, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as details of the applicant's income, bank statements, information from landlords etc. In addition, some aspects of the application are inevitably time consuming and delays can occur where investigations such as home visits or third party evidence are required. Delays can also arise if the applicant is slow to respond to requests for additional information.

Statistics are not available on the average length of time taken to assess rent supplement applications or the number of applications per month or the outcome of those applications. The tabular statement shows the number of rent supplement claims registered and awarded in 2011.

The provision of a prompt service is a major objective of the CWS, this is tempered by the necessity to ensure that every case is fully investigated and that all cases are dealt with in a consistent and fair manner. While certain applications may take more time to process than others, I am satisfied that the CWS makes every effort to ensure rent supplement claims are processed efficiently and that the appropriate levels of oversight and controls are in place.

TABULAR STATEMENT

Rent Supplement Claims Registered and Awarded 2011 YTD*

* - To 23 September 2011

Notes

· Claims registered include

o claims not pursued by the applicant and

o re-application where a rent supplement recipient moves to new accommodation.

· Claim details are recorded electronically where it is established that rent supplement is payable. Where an appeal has been lodged, claim details are also recorded electronically.

· Given the pressure on the community welfare service, claim details are not always recorded on the system where no entitlement has been established to rent supplement and no appeal is made.

· The difference between claims registered and claims awarded is not necessarily a refusal rate, for the reasons outlined above.

· In these circumstances, fully reliable statistics are not available on the total number of people who applied for and were refused rent supplement.