Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 April 2018
585. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to hire extra staff to alleviate the 17-week waiting time for the processing of carer's allowance applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17936/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLike all Government departments and agencies, my Department is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget, which for this Department has involved reductions in staff.
The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new increasing demands in a wide range of services. This is to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.
At the end of March 2018 there were 77.96 full time equivalents (80 people) working in the Carer’s Allowance section. In March 2017 there were 73.50 full time equivalents (77 people) working in the section.
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.
Before a decision can be made on entitlement to carer’s allowance, evidence must be provided in respect of the care recipient’s care requirement, the level of care the carer provides and the carer’s means. In general, social welfare schemes with a number of complex qualifying conditions can take longer to process. This is compounded if the documentary evidence provided at initial application stage is incomplete or insufficient; this is often the case with carer’s allowance applications.
At the end of March 2018, the average waiting time for new carer's allowance (CA) applications was 19 weeks with 5,591 CA applications awaiting decision. The volume of CA applications on hands are also a consequence of a continued increased intake of claims with the number of applications for CA in 2017 26% higher than in 2015.
A redesigned application form will be published shortly; this new form will allow carers to provide more information on the type and level of care they provide, with an aim to providing Deciding Officers with the information they need to expedite decisions on entitlement.
My Department is constantly reviewing the staffing needs and the processes involved in Carer’s Allowance, to improve the service available to customers availing of this scheme.
