Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy will be aware of the significant increase in the number of people applying for jobseeker's payment during the past year. Between February 2008 and February 2009, the live register increased by approximately 165,000 people or more than 87%. Staff in social welfare local offices are working extremely hard and productivity increased by 74% between the last quarter of 2007 and the final quarter of 2008. Approximately 250 additional posts have been allocated by the Department in recent months. A total of 190 additional staff are also being put in place in local offices to minimise delays in claim processing.

These include 31 additional staff assigned to local offices; 115 additional staff identified as necessary as part of a staffing review carried out in October 2008; 32 temporary staff assigned from 2 March to the 17 local offices with the highest volumes of claims on hand; and 12 extra staff as identified in a separate staffing exercise for Cork local office. As many local offices are close to capacity in accommodating more staff, a further 40 staff are being assigned to central decisions units. A total of 16 social welfare inspectors are also being assigned to various locations throughout the country to undertake means testing and other work associated with processing claims for the jobseeker's allowance. In addition to these 250 staff, the number of facilitators has also been increased from 40 to 60.

Measures have also been taken to improve the processes used in processing claims. These include the introduction of a streamlined process for people who had a claim in the previous two years; the testing of an improved procedure for claimants moving from jobseeker's benefit to jobseeker's allowance, which we plan to extend to all offices later this month; on-line availability of application forms for the jobseeker schemes; and the use of an appointment system for taking claims in some offices which we intend to roll out to other areas over the coming months. While every effort is made to ensure applications are processed as quickly as possible, those who are under financial pressure while awaiting a decision on their claim for a jobseeker's payment can apply for supplementary welfare allowance, which is subject to a means test and other qualifying conditions but which means nobody need go without.

I fully appreciate that becoming unemployed and having to claim a jobseeker's payment is stressful enough. By introducing these initiatives I am trying to ensure the process is as easy as it can be. Processing times in some areas are still too long and I assure Deputies that the necessary steps are being taken to reduce them.

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