Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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83. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the processing times for carer’s allowance and benefit applications; the measures he will take to reduce these times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36025/16]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to deal with delays in the administration of carer's allowance. [35976/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 90 together.

My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.

The average waiting time for new carer's benefit (CARB) claims at the end of October 2016 is 9. The average waiting time for new CA applications at the end of September 2016 was 14 weeks. The waiting time for new CA applications as at the end of October 2016 is not yet available.

The Department has seen a significant reduction in CA processing from 22 weeks at the end of May to 14 weeks at the end of September and expects the processing times for both schemes to reduce further, as recently assigned staff get up to speed with the work involved in claim processing.

At the end of October, there were 3,833 CA and 404 CARB applications awaiting decision. These figures compare very favourably to the end May figures which were 6,398 and 660 respectively.

The volume of claims on hands are 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. Applications for CA by the end of September 2016 are 20% higher than in the same period in 2015 while applications for CARB are 24% higher. This has impacted on the timely processing of applications.

Reducing waiting times is a priority for the Department and we are working hard to make this happen. As part of its programme of service delivery modernisation, a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims, supported by modern technology, have been implemented by the Department in recent years. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised.

In addition, staffing needs are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. Where additional staffing is deployed to a scheme, such as has happened for the carer’s schemes, there is a time-lag involved while those staff are trained and build up expertise.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.