Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to the customer-friendly approach, I acknowledge there are very many people who go far beyond the call of duty but I certainly come across serious problems. Serious misinformation is given to people quite routinely. For example, people are told not to sign on for credits as there is no point although not doing so could have a very serious implication for them, including in respect of pension entitlements. The mid-Leinster rents unit employs one person on the telephone although there is a population in excess of 600,000. Thankfully, not all of them are looking for housing but there is a sizeable number of people in the area who will be trying to get through to the service. People come to my constituency office in frustration over their not having been able to get through. It is not the fault of staff members if there is an inadequate number of staff allocated to deal with people. There are difficulties that are not being complained about. If somebody is given incorrect information, he is unlikely to make a complaint about it although it may have an impact on him.

With regard to the timelines, I am certainly happy to provide to the Minister the names of and information on the individuals in question. The timelines to which the Minister refers are not comparable with those I am experiencing.

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