Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Public Accounts Committee
Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund
9:30 am
Mr. John McKeon:
Most of the contracts are ongoing and are open-ended. What we had to do was change the payment rate. What has happened over the years is that the footfall into the offices in some respects to get cash, for example, has gone to the post offices. Many people are now making their claims online but we still want those offices physically in place because they are a location for employment services and information. Therefore, we had to change the payment model. Previously we were paying them to hand out cash or to take a claim. We still want them so we had to change the payment model and that was the change in 2018.
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