Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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176. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she continues to monitor the time taken to process applications for various social protection payments; if she has identified any particular issues in this context; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40588/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. Each scheme area is continuously monitored and reviewed to ensure customers are responded to and claims are processed as quickly as possible. In this regard, the Department has had major success in clearing backlogs especially in the disability related schemes. It is acknowledged that carers allowance applicants have been experiencing longer processing times over recent months, due in the main to an increased volume of claims. To address this, the Department has assigned additional resources to ensure that the processing time in carers allowance claims is reduced over the remainder of 2015.