I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 35 together.
The Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. As is apparent from the data in the following table, schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of illness related schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested payments can also require more detailed investigation and interaction with the applicant, thereby lengthening the decision process. As part of the Department's programme of service delivery modernisation, a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims, supported by modern technology, have been implemented in recent years. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised.
The staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. The Department will continue to source available staff to fill critical vacancies by way of redeployment, or transfer from within the Department and other government departments, taking account of the employment control framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Since May 2008, some 990 staff have been assigned to the Department to fill critical vacancies and additional posts allocated to deal with the increased volume of claims. Taking into account the numbers of staff who have left the Department and the vacancies that exist currently, a net total of 226 additional staff have been assigned to the Department. The Department also makes judicious use of overtime and employs temporary staff as appropriate to address particular service issues as they arise.
The following table sets out detailed information on the claim processing times and performance achieved across the wide range of schemes in the Department:
Table 1: Claim processing target times and performance, January-March 2012
Scheme type:
|
2012 Claims target 90% processed by
|
2012 (January-March) Percentage of claims processed within target
|
State Pension (contributory)
|
due date
|
92%
|
State Pension (transitional)
|
6 wks
|
79%
|
State pension (non-contributory)
|
10 wks
|
59%
|
Widow(er)’s Pension (contributory)
|
6 wks
|
91%
|
Widow(er)’s Pension (non-contributory) pension and one parent family payment (widow)
|
10 wks
|
51%
|
One Parent Family
|
10 wks
|
44%
|
Household Benefits
|
4 wks
|
90%
|
Bereavement Grant
|
4 wks
|
96%
|
Invalidity Pension
|
6 wks
|
8%
|
Family Income Supplement — New Claims
|
6 wks
|
11%
|
Disability Allowance
|
12 wks
|
30%
|
Carer’s Benefit
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
Carer’s Allowance
|
12 wks
|
n/a
|
Jobseeker’s Benefit
|
3 wks
|
82%
|
Jobseeker’s Allowance
|
6 wks
|
76%
|
Illness Benefit
|
1 wk
|
81%
|
Occupational Injury Benefit — Interim Illness Benefit
|
1 wk
|
84%
|
Maternity Benefit
|
due date
|
97%
|
Child Benefit — Domestic — EU
|
4 wksn/a
|
79%
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance
|
7 wks
|
62%
|
Back to Education Allowance
|
|
Applicants for BTEA are already in receipt of another social welfare payment before a decision is made on their entitlement to the Allowance.
|