Kildare South people waiting on social welfare claims being processed are being met by very long delays says local TD

Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare South has expressed huge concerns over the delays in processing social welfare payments.

Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin said:“Through a series of Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection I have received the figures on the length of time a person is waiting on average to receive a decision on their application”.

The average waiting time in 2017 for someone who has applied for carers allowance was 17 weeks; 12 week average waiting time for Disability Allowance and 26 weeks for an oral hearing or final decision on an appeal lodged with the Department of Social Protection.

She said: "These waiting times are simply unacceptable and the Minister must intervene to ensure that applications are processed."

Deputy O'Loughlin said: “All applications are backdated to the date of submission however; a man or women with little or no income caring for a loved one are not in a position to wait for their money to come 17 weeks later”.

She said:“My constituents in Kildare South are hugely impacted by these waiting times and I have people calling regularly who have been waiting months for word back and are finding it hard to survive while waiting on decisions to be made by the Department”

Deputy O'Loughlin said: “I welcome that the Minister has said that staff have been re-assigned within the claims processing area and that it is expected that waiting times will reduce but how long will it take for the backlog to be minimised?”