Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Something must have happened up to 2009. The Department was not claiming when it should have been or something like that. Why was that system changed? Would it not be simpler to pay the benefit directly to the Department instead of tens of thousands of teachers having to make individual claims? If somebody goes out on maternity leave, the Department will be informed. In terms of efficiency would it be not better to notify the Department of Social Protection every payroll period about how much maternity benefit it owes the Department rather than having thousands of individual claims with many officials in the Department of Social Protection having to process them? Could it not be done centrally through the Department as the employer? That happens in many organisations.