Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
863. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection the waiting times for the processing of applications for carer’s allowance and carer's benefit; the number of applications waiting at present, per county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16093/23]
View answerCarer’s allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
The current waiting time for the processing of applications for Carer’s Allowance is 6 weeks. The current waiting time for the processing of applications for Carer’s Benefit is 4 weeks. Please see below for breakdown of claims pending/waiting by county in tabular form at 31 March 2023.
The volume of CA claims on hands are a consequence of continued strong claim intake and any delays in processing are frequently caused by the receipt of incomplete claim forms or that supporting documentation requested on the application form is not provided.
In general terms, 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 disability and caring schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested payments also require more detailed investigation and interaction with the applicant, thereby lengthening the decision-making process.
Carer’s Allowance claims pending per county
|
County |
Scheme Count |
|
CARLOW |
46 |
|
CAVAN |
45 |
|
CLARE |
55 |
|
CORK |
287 |
|
DONEGAL |
94 |
|
DUBLIN |
599 |
|
GALWAY |
118 |
|
KERRY |
80 |
|
KILDARE |
74 |
|
KILKENNY |
44 |
|
LAOIS |
46 |
|
LEITRIM |
18 |
|
LIMERICK |
119 |
|
LONGFORD |
34 |
|
LOUTH |
81 |
|
MAYO |
62 |
|
MEATH |
72 |
|
MONAGHAN |
28 |
|
OFFALY |
54 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
42 |
|
SLIGO |
43 |
|
TIPPERARY |
107 |
|
WATERFORD |
73 |
|
WESTMEATH |
64 |
|
WEXFORD |
112 |
|
WICKLOW |
77 |
|
TOTAL |
2,474 |
Carer’s Benefit claims pending per county
|
County |
Scheme Count |
|
CARLOW |
9 |
|
CAVAN |
5 |
|
CLARE |
8 |
|
CORK |
34 |
|
DONEGAL |
18 |
|
DUBLIN |
70 |
|
GALWAY |
19 |
|
KERRY |
21 |
|
KILDARE |
14 |
|
KILKENNY |
8 |
|
LAOIS |
11 |
|
LEITRIM |
2 |
|
LIMERICK |
14 |
|
LONGFORD |
3 |
|
LOUTH |
6 |
|
MAYO |
14 |
|
MEATH |
13 |
|
MONAGHAN |
5 |
|
OFFALY |
11 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
6 |
|
SLIGO |
4 |
|
TIPPERARY |
13 |
|
WATERFORD |
7 |
|
WESTMEATH |
10 |
|
WEXFORD |
14 |
|
WICKLOW |
11 |
|
TOTAL |
350 |
|
Outside ROI |
4 |
|
Carer’s Benefit claims pending by county overall |
354 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
