Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 1: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she is satisfied that local office staffing levels are sufficient to process and pay welfare entitlements, particularly jobseekers' supports, within an acceptable and reasonable timeframe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9371/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I welcome any steps taken to reduce the processing time but I am concerned about the pace of delivery of the changes. The Minister stated claimants could avail of the supplementary welfare allowance but the difficulty is that part of the service has gone beyond breaking point, according to some staff. The knock-on effect of not having sufficient staff in local welfare offices means claimants are forwarded to community welfare officers, CWOs, who are inundated. The number of claims they process has increased by 85% over the past two years.

What is the average delay at this time? Has it improved since we last discussed the issue in February? Perhaps the times have improved in some offices but I am sure they have deteriorated in others. The Minister issued a statement outlining the additional need for staff in her Department and said the matter had been raised with the Department of Finance. What was the Department's response? Will additional staff be provided?

The Minister stated between 40 and 60 facilitators had been approved. Last July, she announced 50 additional facilitators would be taken on. Were all of them recruited?

Before community welfare officers make a payment to a claimant, they carry out an assessment to ensure the person is entitled to the allowance he or she is seeking from the Department of Social and Family Affairs. They can process that within a week before making the payment. How can a CWO, given his or her workload, do that while the Department's officials take up to 16 weeks to process claims in some instances?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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CWOs come under the HSE, even though they use money from my Department's budget. I appreciate that they are under a great deal of pressure but the HSE has put together a business case for additional officers that must be considered in the context of overall numbers in the public service. To date, we have not had a difficulty with the Department of Finance in seeking additional staff primarily because the officials are being transferred from other Departments. However, different arrangements and agreements were put in place over the years regarding panels, regions and so on, which must be adhered to, and that can affect the movement of officials. The fact that we have sanction to move almost 250 officials demonstrates the co-operation between the Department and the Minister for Finance.

The average processing time for the jobseeker's benefit is shorter than that for the jobseeker's allowance because a means test is required. It is approximately two weeks for benefit claims and five weeks for the allowance claim. The volume of applications in January and February will push the processing time back. Unfortunately, 1,000 people a day signed on the live register in January, which could result in many more jobseeker's allowance claims, while 26,500 signed on in February, which is significant. Every effort is being made.

Queues, unfortunately, form outside social welfare offices and staff have asked claimants to return in the afternoon when fewer people tend to sign on. I can understand that somebody who is used to getting up and heading to work wants to get into the social welfare office and sort out his or her affairs as quickly as possible. Claimants tend to turn up first thing in the morning. The staff in the offices have been trying to manage as best they can to facilitate people at different times.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I never mentioned the queues outside offices but they are appalling. I will ask the questions again that I asked earlier. What happened to the 50 facilitators, the appointment of whom the Minister announced last July? Were they all recruited and deployed? When did the number of facilitators change from 40 to 60? When community welfare officers assess an application for a supplementary welfare payment, they must obtain information to ensure the claimant has an entitlement. How can they process such claims within a week while it takes up to 16 weeks for the Department to process claims?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have the full details but the number of facilitators has increased since last July.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Minister stated 50 would be provided in July and it appears only 20 more have been added.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I did not say they would be in place by February. More facilitators will be provided under the national development plan, NDP. I am open to correction but the number has increased by 20 since July. Under the NDP, 50 additional facilitators were to be deployed. They are facilitating the back to education and back to work schemes.

The difference in the assessments conducted by the community welfare officer and local welfare office staff is that the CWOs assess for an immediate need whereas the local office staff assess for a long-term need. The assessment must, therefore, be thorough.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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It is the same information.