Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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145. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the length of time that it takes to process an application for carer’s allowance; the steps, if any, that are being taken to make the assessments required for the application more efficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34027/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My department understands the many pressures faced by claimants 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, including Carer’s Allowance (CA).

The target processing time for Carer's Allowance is to process 75% of new claims within 11 weeks. At the end of May 2022, 92% of applications were completed within the expected timeframe. The average time taken to award a Carer's Allowance claim from January 2022 to May 2022 was 4 weeks. The average time to award a new claim increased to 6 weeks during May 2022, mainly due to additional volumes of applications received during that period. My officials are working to deal with these additional claims and to reduce waiting times.

Over the past 2 years, substantial improvements in processing performance was achieved across most schemes but especially in the carers and disability areas where claims are now consistently processed within 4 to 5 weeks, compared with 14 weeks in 2019.

My Department is committed to providing a quality service, ensuring that claims are processed as quickly as possible. Any backlogs arising are addressed without delay through a range of measures including system changes and the allocation of additional resources where needed.

I hope that clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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146. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department can outline if any consideration has been made with respect to commencing the fuel allowance scheme earlier than anticipated to help deal with the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34719/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs.

The Government is acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on households who are dependent on social welfare.

For this reason, this Government did not await a further budget cycle to address these challenges but acted early. Overall, the tax and spending measures we have introduced to ease the burden and provide support to those most in need have amounted to €2.4 billion.

For recipients of Fuel Allowance, measures introduced by my Department included an increase of €5 in the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance - which was paid with effect from the week of the Budget - and subsequent lump sum payments of €125 and €100 in March and May 2022 respectively. Together, these measures mean that recipients of Fuel Allowance in 2021/22 received an increase of 55% compared to 2020/21. Adding in the energy credit of €200 paid to all households means that the value of energy-related payments to fuel allowance recipients increased by over 82% year-on-year, considerably in excess of the increase in energy prices.

Although energy costs abate during the summer months, I understand that households in receipt of fuel allowance will be concerned as to what provision might be made as we move towards the fuel season later this year. The very significant measures already taken are proof that this Government will act in a timely and decisive manner. We will, however, have to take account, as always, of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.