Written answers
Thursday, 6 July 2023
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Payments
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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276. 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. [33373/23]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department always seeks to ensure that claims are handled quickly and efficiently, understanding the many pressures faced by customers. I am pleased to report that claim processing is up to date, with processing targets met, or exceeded, 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.
The average processing times at end May 2023 and targets across the schemes are outlined in the table below:
| Scheme Type | Target Weeks to process claims | Average number of weeks to process claims | Percentage of claims awarded within target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carer's Allowance | 75% within 10 weeks | 7 | 94% |
| Carer's Benefit | 90% within 12 weeks | 4 | Not available |
| Child Benefit | 90% within 4 weeks | 1 | 75% |
| Disability Allowance | 75% within 10 weeks | 9 | 73% |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 90% within 10 weeks | 5 | 95% |
| Free Travel | 90% within 2 weeks | 7 | 98% |
| Household Benefits | 90% within 4 weeks | 1 | 99% |
| Illness Benefit | 90% within 1 week | 1 | 94% |
| Invalidity Pension | 90% within 10 weeks | 7 | 93% |
| Jobseekers Allowance | 90% within 6 weeks | 1 | 96% |
| Jobseekers Benefit | 90% within 3 weeks | 1 | 95% |
| Maternity Benefit | By Due date | 6 | 97% |
| Occupational Injury Benefit | 90% within 1 week | 1 | 61% |
| One Parent Family Payment | 90% within 10 weeks | 3 | 96% |
| Paternity Benefit | By Commencement date | 6 | 88% |
| State Pension Contributory | By date of entitlement | 7 | 99% |
| State Pension Non-Contributory | 75% within 12 weeks | 6 | 86% |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 90% within 1 week | 1 | 82% |
| Widows Contributory Pension | 90% within 6 weeks | 2 | 94% |
| Working Family Payment | 90% within 6 weeks | 7 | Not available |
Overall, I am pleased that my Department continues to ensure that the customer service has been maintained at a high level.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
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