My Department is committed to providing a quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply.
Entitlement to carer's allowance is based on an applicant satisfying medical, means and residency conditions. There is, in certain cases, an unavoidable timelag involved in making the necessary investigations and enquiries to enable timely and accurate decisions to be made. In addition to the work my Department has to carry out, there is an onus on applicants to furnish all necessary documentation. Time can elapse through delays by persons applying for the allowance not supplying all the necessary information in support of their claim.
The average time for deciding an application for receipt of carer's allowance is ten weeks, although in many cases they are processed within a far shorter timeframe. Many applicants for carer's allowance are already in receipt of another social welfare payment while their claim is being processed. Such payments will normally continue until entitlement to their carer's allowance is determined.
The staff and other resources available to my Department are regularly reviewed having regard to the workload arising and other competing demands; the available resources are then used to best advantage in discharging my Department's obligations towards our customers and in implementing cost-effective controls to prevent and detect fraud and abuse.
If the Deputy has a particular case(s) in mind where a delay is being experienced, perhaps he would let my Department have the relevant details.