Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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1652. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average length of time it takes social welfare inspectors to process cases in each county or district, in tabular form. [1488/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department administers over 70 schemes and services. It processes in excess of 1.7 million applications per annum and issues 81 million payments per year to 2.1 million customers and their families.

It is not possible to give a definitive breakdown of the average length of time it takes social welfare inspectors to process cases in each county, given the range of services and activities carried out by social welfare inspectors across the schemes.

The approach taken in each investigation is determined by the social welfare inspector and the nature of the case. Investigations may involve desk assessments, written and verbal enquiries, site and employer visits, office interviews and home visits. The length of time taken to process a case will vary depending on the scheme involved and the specific circumstances of each case.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.