Carer'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.
It should be noted that if a person is in receipt of another social welfare payment in their own right (other than a Jobseeker's payment or Supplementary Welfare Allowance) or is being claimed as a qualified adult on their spouse / partner's payment, a half-rate CA can be paid to the person, as long as all the normal conditions for receipt of CA are satisfied. An applicant for CA is not available for full time work and, as a result, they do not meet the eligibility criteria for a Jobseekers payment.
My Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
There are no delays in processing claims once all of the necessary information is provided to establish entitlement to CA. The target processing time for CA is to process 75% of new claims within 10 weeks. At the end of September 2023, 89% of applications were completed within the expected timeframe and the average time taken to award a CA claim is 6 weeks.
Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or who do not qualify for payment under other State schemes.
The current average time to award a basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance is one week. Fully completed applications, where the required documentation is supplied, are processed promptly. Where an application cannot be finalised promptly, the delay is normally due to the need for additional information or documentation and the time it takes for the information to be provided. Upon receipt of this information, the application is then processed immediately without delay.
If the Deputy has a query on an individual case, the details can be forwarded to my Department and will be examined by an officer.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
