Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2019
698. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average waiting time for decisions on social welfare payments in tabular form; the number of persons awaiting decisions on such payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52949/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to ensuring that claims for its schemes are processed as quickly as possible. The following table shows claims performance results for November 2019:
|
Scheme |
No. of applications pending |
Average No. of weeks to award |
|
State pension (contributory) |
5,079 |
7 |
|
Widow(er)'s & surviving civil partner's contributory pension |
450 |
4 |
|
State pension (non-contributory) |
1,394 |
12 |
|
Jobseekers allowance |
4,245 |
1 |
|
Jobseekers benefit |
1,911 |
1 |
|
One-parent family payment |
542 |
3 |
|
Supplementary welfare allowance |
699 |
1 |
|
Maternity benefit |
474 |
6 |
|
Paternity benefit |
506 |
6 |
|
Carer's allowance |
3,783 |
12 |
|
Carer's benefit |
613 |
10 |
|
Disability allowance |
4,994 |
12 |
|
Invalidity pension |
2,305 |
12 |
|
Illness benefit |
2,171 |
1 |
|
Occupational injury benefit |
2,685 |
1 |
|
Child benefit |
1,552 |
3 |
|
Working family payment |
3,269 |
3 |
|
Domiciliary care allowance |
1,075 |
10 |
|
Household benefits |
1,061 |
1 |
|
Free travel |
5 |
1 |
|
Treatment benefit |
N/A |
N/A |
Means tested schemes have more complexity attached to the processing of applications. In a disability allowance claim, for example, in addition to providing evidence of habitual residence in the State and of the income and assets they hold, a claimant must provide details of their medical condition and the extent to which it restricts them from taking up employment. Likewise, for carer’s allowance, details of the income and assets of the claimant, together with medical certification identifying the care needs of the person being cared for on a full-time basis, must be provided.
I wish to reassure the Deputy that claim processing is kept under active review, with all possible steps taken to improve processing times. This includes the assignment of additional resources, where available, and the review of business processes, to ensure the efficient processing of applications. The Department's claims performance statistics indicate that over the period September-November 2019, the average no. of weeks to award has been generally maintained across the majority of schemes, with state pension contributory, jobseeker's allowance and working family payment processing showing an improvement in processing times.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
