Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The increased back office support in place across the greater Dublin area and in counties Kildare and Wicklow has been found to have improved the service to customers, especially at times of particular pressure such as during periods of staff absence due to the Covid pandemic. It ensures that a swift response is available to customers, resulting in significant decreases in the time waiting for a claim to be paid regardless of the prevailing circumstances in place. It is vital that the community welfare service is easily accessible and responsive to customer needs, and developing and enhancing access to the service remains my priority. If people want to see a community welfare officer in person they can do it but there are quicker ways to access the support if they need it. The system is very straightforward. They can meet the community welfare officer in person, do it by phone, or house visits can be arranged by appointment. I am very supportive of this. It is a vital service. It something that I want to see in place.

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