Ray Butler (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to address the Minister on parliamentary questions concerning the Department of Social Protection. When I was first elected, I met the community welfare officer. She invited me to a meeting with a couple of the officials from the head office in Navan, and we sat around a table and I got names and numbers. There is also the direct line. I am not being party political in saying that each book of parliamentary questions has five or six pages of questions on social protection despite there being a dedicated line. The staff showed me the amount of work required in answering these. It is taking them away from front-line services and incurring costs. The staff showed me the system that must be used to process a parliamentary question. It is absolutely crazy. I appeal to all politicians to get in contact with their community welfare officers and the main departmental office in their areas and use the direct line. What is occurring is a serious waste of taxpayers' money and of the time of staff who could be offering services elsewhere.