Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
63. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the current average processing times for carer's allowance; the steps his Department is taking to reduce delays and barriers faced by applicants in applying for this payment; the plans in place to deal with increased applications post July 2026 when the latest changes to the carer's allowance scheme come into place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14226/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer's Allowance 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.
At the end of 2025, there were over 104,500 people receiving Carer’s Allowance. There are no delays in processing applications once all the necessary information is provided to establish entitlement to the payment.
Over recent years, the Carer’s Allowance scheme has been performing very well. As a result, the processing targets have been revised from 70% in 12 weeks, to 75% in 11 weeks, to 75% in 10 weeks, to the current target of 80% in 10 weeks. In December 2025, the average processing time for new applications was 6 weeks with 94% of new claims processed within 10 weeks.
In a further move to remove any potential barriers faced by applicants for Carer’s Allowance and to enable the department to respond to application volume increases, a new online application service was made available in November 2025. The online application is a further extension of the services available on MyWelfare and represents an important improvement in making income support payments more accessible and efficient for family carers, as well as being more efficient for the Department from a processing perspective.
Finally, the staffing needs for all areas within my Department are continuously reviewed. This is to take account of workloads, management priorities, and the ongoing need to respond to increasing demands such as may occur later this year in relation to Carer’s Allowance.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
