Written answers

Tuesday, 17 December 2019

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Payments Administration

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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698. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average waiting time for decisions on social welfare payments in tabular form; the number of persons awaiting decisions on such payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52949/19]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that claims for its schemes are processed as quickly as possible.  The following table shows claims performance results for November 2019:

Scheme No. of applications pending Average No. of weeks to award
State pension (contributory) 5,079 7
Widow(er)'s & surviving civil partner's contributory pension  450 4
State pension (non-contributory) 1,394 12
Jobseekers allowance 4,245 1
Jobseekers benefit 1,911 1
One-parent family payment 542 3
Supplementary welfare allowance 699 1
Maternity benefit 474 6
Paternity benefit 506 6
Carer's allowance 3,783 12
Carer's benefit 613 10
Disability allowance 4,994 12
Invalidity pension 2,305 12
Illness benefit 2,171 1
Occupational injury benefit 2,685 1
Child benefit 1,552 3
Working family payment 3,269 3
Domiciliary care allowance 1,075 10
Household benefits 1,061 1
Free travel 5 1
Treatment benefit N/A N/A

Means tested schemes have more complexity attached to the processing of applications. In a disability allowance claim, for example, in addition to providing evidence of habitual residence in the State and of the income and assets they hold, a claimant must provide details of their medical condition and the extent to which it restricts them from taking up employment.  Likewise, for carer’s allowance, details of the income and assets of the claimant, together with medical certification identifying the care needs of the person being cared for on a full-time basis, must be provided.

I wish to reassure the Deputy that claim processing is kept under active review, with all possible steps taken to improve processing times.  This includes the assignment of additional resources, where available, and the review of business processes, to ensure the efficient processing of applications.  The Department's claims performance statistics indicate that over the period September-November 2019, the average no. of weeks to award has been generally maintained across the majority of schemes, with state pension contributory, jobseeker's allowance and working family payment processing showing an improvement in processing times.  

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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