Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications currently awaiting processing for carer's allowance and carer's benefit; the maximum time an applicant is currently waiting to have the assessment process concluded for each of the schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16833/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The number of applications currently awaiting a decision for carer's allowance is just over 4,000. A significant number of these have already been processed and are awaiting additional information in order to make a decision. Substantial backlogs of Carers application have been cleared and we are currently in the process of finalising cases that still need additional information.. The information required to finalise these cases may be from the claimant themselves, a medical assessment opinion from one of the Department’s medical assessors or a report from a social welfare inspector. Once this outstanding information is received a decision will be made without delay.

The average time taken to award a carer’s allowance application received this year, 2013 is just under 10 weeks.

There are currently 363 carer’s benefit applications awaiting decision. The average time taken to award a carer’s benefit application received this year is currently just over 10 weeks.