Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
2690. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average time for processing an application for a contributory State pension in 2019; the level of communication that usually takes place with the applicant during the processing of the application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31949/19]
View answerMy Department is committed to ensuring that state pension (contributory) claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. The operational target for state pension (contributory) claims is 90% of timely applications awarded (where qualified) by entitlement date, currently the applicant's 66th birthday.
According to the latest figures available to end June 2019, the average processing time achieved is 6 weeks.
Processing of contributory pension claims depends on the individual nature of social insurance records and the applicant's circumstances. Communication with an applicant varies from cases to case, depending on the completeness of the application and the availability of the required information.
All my Department’s claims processing is kept under active review and this is also the case for state pension (contributory).
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
