Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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561. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of applications for the domiciliary care allowance in each of the years 2019 to 2021; the percentage of these applications that were successful on the first application in each year; the percentage of unsuccessful applications that were appealed; the percentage of these applications that were successful in their appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23322/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of children with a severe disability who require care and attention substantially in excess of that required by children of a similar age without such a disability, providing this additional care is likely to last for at least 12 months.

In 2019 there were 6,383 awarded claims and 1,203 disallowed claims. Outcomes from decided appeals are shown in the table below.

In 2021 there were 5,816 awarded claims and 1,820 disallowed claims. Outcomes from decided appeals are shown in the table below.

The number of DCA applications continues to increase. Applicants are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible at application stage to ensure all information is available to the deciding officer before the initial decision is made.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.