525. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families who applied for the domiciliary care allowance for each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of applications granted, refused; and the number of refusals that were subsequently overturned on appeal, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48754/26]

The number of claims registered, claims awarded, and claims rejected for Domiciliary Care Allowance for 2024, 2025, and 2026 are shown in the table below. Figures for 2026 are as of 31 May 2026. Note that there is a delay between a claim being registered and receiving a decision. Therefore, a claim registered in one year may not be awarded or rejected until the following year.

The number of appeals registered, appeals decided, and appeals which were decided in favour of the appellant are shown below.

Note there can be multiple reasons for an appeal, apart from a claim being rejected, such as backdating of a claim. Therefore not all appeals shown here are for rejection of a claim. It is not possible to break down the figures by reason for the appeal. Please also note that the years below refer to the year the appeal was registered or the year the appeal decision was made which may be different to the year of the initial decision.

Note that an appeal can be decided in one of two ways. When the appeal is first received by the Appeals Office, it is sent to the relevant scheme area in the department for a review. If the scheme area decides to issue a revised decision with a positive outcome for the customer then the appeal is successful and the appeal is resolved. If the original decision is upheld by the scheme area, then the appeal is sent back to the Appeals Office for a decision by an Appeals Officer. The Appeals Office can then allow, partially allow, or disallow the appeal. "Appeals Decided in Favour of Customer" refers to appeals which received a revised decision from the scheme area or which were allowed or partially allowed by an Appeals Officer.