Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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457. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the breakdown of the current processing times for social welfare applications by the type of application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5990/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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.

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 is outlined in the table below:

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.