Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total number of applications for carer's allowance pending or on hand at present; the timespan within which it is likely that such claims will be cleared; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12035/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers.

A total of 17,758 carer's allowance applications were registered in 2011 and 13,762 were processed in the same period. Some 7,698 applications are registered and awaiting a decision at present.

A major service delivery modernisation project is underway to improve the efficiency of administration of the carer's allowance scheme. This involves the development of information technology functions and associated business process re-organisation. The first tranche of new care's allowance claims began to be processed under the new system in August 2011.

It is anticipated that the new system will introduce significant processing efficiencies and a quicker and more responsive service to the customer. Accordingly, the project is being given high priority and involves a significant level of time and commitment from the relevant staff in the Department. This has had a short-term negative impact on claim processing times which is expected to continue until the completion of the modernisation project in June of this year when all existing carer's allowance claims will be transferred onto the new processing systems. In addition, to dealing with approximately 330 new carer's allowance applications that are received each week, overtime working is being applied to help reduce backlogs that have built up. However, it is expected to be a significant number of months before the backlog is reduced to an acceptable level.

While the new systems and processes will facilitate a significant improvement in overall processing times, it should be noted the intake of carer's allowance claims remains at a high level and that individual claims may continue to take some time to process. Entitlement to carer's allowance is based on satisfying medical, means and residency conditions. In determining entitlement to the allowance, in certain cases unavoidable time lags are involved in making the necessary investigations and inquiries to enable accurate decisions to be made. Delays can also arise if those applying for the allowance are not in a position to supply all the necessary information in support of their claim.

The staff and other resources available to the Department are regularly reviewed with a view to ensuring claims are processed as quickly as possible. I acknowledge that the time taken to process carer's allowance claims is not satisfactory but I am satisfied that the Department is taking appropriate steps to resolve the situation.

In the meantime, if a person's means are insufficient to meet their needs while awaiting a decision on a claim, they may apply for a means tested supplementary welfare allowance payment from their local community welfare officer.