Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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312. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if support and advice will be provided in the case of a person (details supplied). [5690/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.

The person concerned is in receipt of CA in respect of his care recipient since 19 March 2015 and currently receives CA for one care recipient and two qualified children.

No means are assessed against the person concerned at this time and they are in receipt of their full entitlement of CA.

As part of Budget 2022, the rate of CA increased by €5 to €224.00 per week, and the qualified child half rate increased by €1 to €20 for under 12’s and by €2.50 to €24 for over 12’s per week. These increases came into effect in January.

Where appropriate and where possible it is open to the person concerned to engage in employment, self-employment or a training or education course for a maximum of 18.5 hours per week, provided that they can show to the satisfaction of a deciding officer that adequate care has been provided for the care recipient in their absence.

If the person concerned is experiencing financial difficulties, they should contact their local Intreo Centre to discuss their options. They may apply for a payment under the Department’s Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme.

Under the SWA scheme, an exceptional needs payment can be made to a person to help them meet essential, once-off expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to this payment. Each application is decided on the circumstances of the case.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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315. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which the waiting time for decision in respect of applications for various social welfare payments has been shortened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5740/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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325. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent to which the system of processing of applications for various social welfare payments continues to be in line with the most expeditious practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5750/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 315 and 325 together.

My Department understands the many pressures faced by customers and always seeks to ensure that claims are handled quickly and efficiently. I am pleased to report that claim processing is up to date, with processing targets met, or exceeded, on average for all the main scheme areas.

Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of illness-related schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested payments can also require more detailed investigations and interaction with the customer, thereby lengthening the decision-making process.

While there have been high volumes of Covid Enhanced Illness Benefit applications over the past month as a result of the transmission of the Omicron variant, 92% of these applications are being processed within a week. Applications that require a manual intervention are taking approximately two weeks to process but my officials are working hard to minimise any delays. There are no backlogs arising in respect of standard Illness Benefit applications.

Overall, I am very pleased that my Department continues to ensure the customer experience has not been diminished by the effects of Covid 19 and that customer service has been maintained at a high level. The average processing time in 2021 across all schemes compared to 2019 is outlined in the table below:

The Department has introduced a wide range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims, supported by modern technology in recent years. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised.

In addition, the staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.