Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the average length of time it takes to process an application for carer's allowance; and in the event of refusal the average length of time to process an appeal of the decision to refuse. [46455/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers. Currently the average time taken to award a carer’s allowance application is approximately 28 weeks. It should be noted that, following a modernisation and business process improvement project, new structures and processes have been put in place with effect from 3 September 2012. In September 2012, the number of new claims processed significantly exceeded the number received and this improvement has continued into this month. However, it will be a number of months before the backlog is cleared.

I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average time taken to process carer’s allowance appeals decided by summary decision is 32.7 weeks, while the current average time for those requiring an oral hearing is 43.5 weeks. Generally the vast majority of cases fall within these average times but extenuating factors, often outside of the control of the Social Welfare Appeals Office, will cause greater delays in some cases.