Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
633. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for applications for disability allowance, carer’s allowance and invalidity pension in County Cork for each month in 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of applications currently awaiting decision; the steps being taken to reduce waiting times and improve decision turnaround; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45864/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department does not hold statistics on the average processing times for claims on a county-by-county basis. Processing statistics are provided on a state level.
The table below sets out the average time to award for each month of 2025 and to date in 2026 for Disability Allowance (DA), Carer’s Allowance (CA), and Invalidity Pension (IP).
|
|
Disability Allowance |
Carer's Allowance |
Invalidity Pension |
|
Jan-25 |
7 |
9 |
6 |
|
Feb-25 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
|
Mar-25 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Apr-25 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
May-25 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Jun-25 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
|
Jul-25 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
|
Aug-25 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
|
Sep-25 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
|
Oct-25 |
6 |
5 |
9 |
|
Nov-25 |
6 |
5 |
9 |
|
Dec-25 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
|
Jan-26 |
6 |
8 |
9 |
|
Feb-26 |
6 |
7 |
5 |
|
Mar-26 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
|
Apr-26 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
|
May-26 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
The Department of Social Protection is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that all applications are processed as quickly as possible. Processing times for new applications vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. 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. My Department understands the many pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that claims are processed quickly and efficiently.
The processing target for the DA scheme is to award 80% of applications within 10 weeks. This was increased from 70%. The number of first-time DA applications awaiting a decision at the end of May 2026 was 3,617. The average number of weeks to award a DA claim at the end of May 2026 was 6 weeks.
The processing target for the CA scheme is to award 80% of applications within 10 weeks. The number of first-time CA applications awaiting a decision at the end of May 2026 was 2,629. The average number of weeks to award an CA claim at week ending 29 May 2026 is 6 weeks.
The processing target for the Invalidity Pension scheme is to award 90% of applications within 10 weeks. The number of first-time IP applications awaiting a decision at the end of May 2026 was 1,942. The average number of weeks to award an IP claim at week ending 29 May 2026 is 7 weeks.
CA and IP can now be applied for online and DA is expected to be online by quarter 3 this year, thus improving customer access to the Schemes.
Operational processes, procedures, and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised. In addition, the staffing needs of the area are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
