Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The overall aim of the Department of Social Protection is to provide people with the information, financial support and other services they require in a timely and customer-friendly way. The Department demonstrates its ongoing commitment to a strong customer service ethos through the customer charter and action plan. The plan sets out a range of mechanisms to deliver a high quality of service to people who use the services of the Department.

The Department rolled out 44 new and revamped Intreo offices during the past three years. The feedback through customer surveys has been one of very strong approval. Given that the Department pays approximately 1.45 million people every week and has almost 89 million payments per year, the number of complaints in 2013 was slightly more than 1,200 and the corresponding figure for this year to date is 867. All these complaints are very important and we follow them up.

In addition, the Department spends €46 million each year to enable the Citizens Information Board, including the Money Advice & Budgeting Service, MABS, to provide independent information, advocacy and advice to people who have business with the Department and who may need independent advice and assistance.

The Deputy referred to the timespan for processing payments, a matter which we have discussed on a number of occasions. Two years ago, we revamped over a period all the IT related to many of the payments she referenced. As she will know, almost all the backlogs have been cleared and the last significant area to be updated in terms of IT is disability.

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