Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of people awarded supplementary welfare allowance in the last period for which figures are available on the basis of a delay in the processing of a social welfare claim; the value of such payments; her estimate of the saving on supplementary welfare allowance if all social welfare schemes and the appeals office had an average processing time of three weeks or less; and the way she intends to achieve this saving. [57182/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is designed to provide immediate and flexible assistance for anyone in the State who satisfies a habitual residency condition and a means test, has registered for employment, unless they have a physical or mental disability, and can prove unemployment, or anyone who is awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare or Health Service Executive payment.

There are approximately 22,500 recipients currently in receipt of SWA who are pending a decision or outcome of an appeal on a primary social welfare payment. The total weekly SWA expenditure in respect of these payments is approximately €4.3 million. The weekly SWA expenditure in respect of claims made within a three week period accounts for approximately €0.5 million.

Payments issued under the SWA scheme are recouped from the primary social welfare scheme on award. Therefore, the issue of savings does not arise in these circumstances. Given the very nature of the SWA scheme, which is the safety net within the social welfare system, it is unlikely that these customers would not have an entitlement to another social welfare scheme if refused under their original application or on appeal. For example a customer who may not satisfy the conditions for an unemployment support may have an entitlement to an illness type payment.

I can assure the Deputy that every effort is made to ensure that social welfare claims are processed in the shortest possible timeframes. A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1st October 2011 is to provide a streamlined, consistent and enhanced service to the customer. The process of integration is on-going and progress has already been made with a unified service, Intreo, now in the process of being delivered in four offices. Significant efforts are also being made in the processing of illness related schemes with additional temporary staff having being assigned to the area, the recent completion of a major service delivery modernisation project and an in-depth business process improvement project having recently commenced with the aim of eliminating backlogs and improving customer service. Significant resources and efforts have also been put into reducing volumes and improving processing times for appellants to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, including the assignment of 15 additional Appeals Officers, improving business processes and implementing a new operating model. All of these measures combined will reduce the requirement for recourse to SWA.