Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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562. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for processing applications under the carer's allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10531/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.

The average waiting time for new carer's allowance (CA) applications at the end of March was 19 weeks. The time take to process CA claims is a consequence of continued strong claim intake and the delays in processing are frequently caused by the customer failing to fully complete the claim form or failing to attach the supporting documentation that is requested on the application form.

An in-depth Business Process Improvement (BPI) review has recently been completed for the CA scheme. This project focused on optimising output, improving customer service and the elimination of backlogs.

The outcome of this review is a detailed plan outlining the process required to manage both the continuous weekly intake and reduce the average waiting time. The Department has introduced a number of measures to address the efficiency of claim processing for CA in light of the current waiting times, including the assignment of temporary and full-time staff and the facility to assign overtime working where appropriate.

These measures will, lead to a reduction in the average waiting time. The position is being closely monitored and kept under review by the Department.