Mr. Des Henry:

I would be very happy to follow up on that if the Chair will send me the details. I am not questioning whether he did. It should not be the case that somebody should wait that time. We will look at that. We understand that the recent period has been particularly difficult for staff, and particularly for the community welfare service. We can see this year that the volumes of applications dealt with are considerable. That is the reason the Department has sought additional resources to go in and support those officers. They are the front line and the cornerstone of the delivery of additional needs payments, and a plethora of other payments such as the humanitarian aid scheme, and daily expenses allowance. As Mr. Hession said, the service they provide is excellent. Change is always difficult for us all. I would say that and I am no different from anybody else. However, ultimately what the Department is about here is trying to be more responsive, more sympathetic and deal with the needs. We are not there yet, but the plan is to improve as we go along and that is what we will do.

Finally, Deputy Kerrane mentioned those who are suffering from domestic violence. We are working with partners across Tusla and the various providers. We have introduced a direct route for access to rent supplement for victims of domestic violence. We are working on developing a policy around supporting our CWOs in dealing with victims of domestic violence, and ensuring that a timely and responsive service is available for those who experience domestic violence.