Written answers
Monday, 9 September 2024
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Mother and Baby Homes
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1442.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of applications for the mother and baby institutions payment scheme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34796/24]
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1443.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of pending applications for the mother and baby institutions payment scheme who have not yet received their payment, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34797/24]
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1444.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average waiting time for applicants to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme to receive payment, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34798/24]
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1445.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason why applicants to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme are facing long waiting times in receiving payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34799/24]
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1446.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason applicants to the mother and baby institutions payment scheme are facing long waiting times for responses to their queries on the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34800/24]
Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1463.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason case workers for the mother and baby institutions payment scheme are withholding information from survivors who are enquiring on the status of the payment that they are entitled to; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35099/24]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1442 to 1446, inclusive, and 1463 together.
The Deputy has sought some statistics pertaining to the operation of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme which I provide here.
| No. of applications to 2 Sept 2024 | No. of notices of determination | Payments paid or in process of being paid | Average processing time - receipt of application to notice of determination** | Average processing time - receipt of award acceptance to payment made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,035* | 2,448 | 1,306 | 70 days | 16 days |
Notes:
* 793 of these are incomplete applications. In such cases, applicants are being supported by the Payment Scheme Office in order to provide the outstanding information required so that their application can move forward. This could be for example a supporting document such as certified photo ID.
** Processing time stalls once the notice of determination (award offer) goes out because applicants have up to 6 months to accept the offer(s).
The table shows that the average time from receipt of completed award acceptance to payment is 16 days. This timeframe includes important checks to ensure that payments reach the intended recipient - all documentation such as the legal waiver, account details and PPSN's must be present and verified. In addition, this timeline includes the different payment clearing requirements of different financial institutions. It is, of course, true that some cases are taking significantly longer than the average, owing to difficulties emerging in the verification process. In such cases, the Payment Scheme Office engages with the applicant to resolve those difficulties such that the payment can be processed as quickly as possible.
The serious allegation that Payment Scheme Office case-workers are withholding information is one of utmost concern to me and I have raised it directly with the Chief Deciding Officer of the Scheme. It is the case that case-workers must take care to ensure they are engaging directly with an applicant and there are also occasions when they simply do not have the required information to provide. For example, it is not possible for them to provide a precise date for payment given the different payment clearing timelines of different financial institutions.
As to the concerns raised by the Deputy of delays in responding to queries, I am advised that each and every application is handled on an individual basis to ensure thorough and accurate processing, and depending on the nature of enquiries, the response timeline can vary. I understand that, if delays are experienced, this can cause concern, and I am advised that the Payment Scheme Office is actively working on improving processing times at all stages of the applicant journey, while upholding the integrity of the Scheme through proper and robust validation processes. It is ultimately the aim of the Payment Scheme Office to ensure the correct award amount is paid to the correct applicant in as timely a manner as possible.
No comments