Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 12 November 2020
Public Accounts Committee
2019 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 – Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Chapter 4 – Control over Welfare Payments
11:30 am
Mr. John McKeon:
If we do not get it by the end of this meeting, I will send it to the Deputy. We do what we can to encourage people. For example, we can now take applications online for supplementary welfare allowance. We take applications over the phone. When someone rings our helpline number, 1890 800 024, we will organise a community welfare officer to call back, take details over the phone, assess the person's needs and begin payments. We are trying to make it as easy as possible.