Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I refer to the average time taken to process a jobseeker's allowance. The target is 90% within six weeks. In 2012, 76% was achieved. In 2013, we are on 82%. One of the significant reasons for the improvement is the new system in the Intreo offices which is being rolled out. I do not know if the Deputy has had an opportunity to visit an Intreo office yet. I extended an invitation to the committee and I think some people went to King's Inn Street or to another office to look at it but I repeat the invitation to any Deputy who has not taken the opportunity to visit an office. The target for jobseeker's benefit is 90% in three weeks. In 2012, it was 83% and in 2013, it remains at 83%.

The Intreo offices are basically allowing us, through reception, to give people the correct application forms when they arrive in. From that, we can give them a fairly rapid appointment in jobseekers' offices. Sometimes it is on the same day but it is certainly within a week. They then have a specific appointment to discuss their application and establish their entitlement.

In terms of jobseeker's benefit appeals, in 2012, it took 42 weeks - that is in regard to means testing - and in regard to jobseeker's allowance appeals, it took 36 weeks. As of Monday, 24 June, the number of appeals on hand is 16,000. That is down from more than 20,000 at the start of the year.

I spoke to Deputies before about the changes in Intreo. Additionally, we went through a system of changing the IT in regard to applications for a range of areas. I will not go into those headings because presumably we will come to them later in the discussion but the effect of Intreo and the changes in Longford and Letterkenny have enabled us to deal with applications much faster, even though we have had higher numbers in quite a number of areas, and to give people a much faster service. That is also very much down to the staff in the Department, even though they are going through a huge transformation process, being committed to very high standards of services to customers.