Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to say that particular staff in Letterkenny have been ring-fenced to deal with the backlog. Those resources have been applied. Even Sinn Féin might acknowledge that there has been an enormous upsurge across the board in claims of certain payments such as family income supplement and carer's allowance. To cope with the increased volumes we have introduced new and improved business practices, including greater use of IT. All of that has taken place in an environment in which we must keep two systems operating side by side while we change over to the new systems. The new systems are now in place, and they will result in a better service. We also have a dedicated team working on the backlog, and whether the staff are working in Longford or in Letterkenny, they endeavour to give our important customers who rely on social welfare income the best possible service.

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