asked the Minister for Social Welfare the average length of time from the receipt of an application for widow's pension to the granting of it.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Widow's Pension.
28.
Records which would enable the information requested by the Deputy to be furnished are not normally kept by the Department. However, an analysis of the cases actually decided on 2 March 1978 showed that the average length of time which elapsed between the receipt of the application and the granting of the pension was 18 days in the case of widows' contributory pensions and 51 days in the case of widows' non-contributory pensions.
Has the Minister any information on the reason there is such a discrepancy between the two pensions?
In the case of a non-contributory pension, means have to be investigated. Of course, in the case of a contributory pension they are not investigated. The contributory pension should be more or less automatic.