Brendan Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Since February 2011 the provision of new rent allowance and mortgage assistance claims for my constituents in Dublin North are being directed to a PO box address in Santry. It has resulted in the removal of yet another localised service from some of the most vulnerable in society. Previously new rent supplement applications were handled by community welfare officers, CWOs. Applicants could meet a CWO in person, discuss their situation and in response, the applicant would get instant advice and help. I find it incredible that this service has been removed from community welfare officers. CWOs provided face-to-face contact for people who need the allowance. They could give advice and counsel but most importantly decisions were made in a short time, usually within one week. With the new system, there are delays of up to five or six weeks whereby people are left in an anxious limbo, waiting on a decision.

As public representatives we all deal with emergency cases where people are in need of a quick decision on their rent supplement. That may be as a result of domestic violence, abuse or health problems. Until February 2011, such emergency cases could be dealt with directly through community welfare officers who could provide advice in a timely manner. Now people are directed to the PO box address and a system which is totally faceless. Although the new system offers a telephone number for queries, the delays for getting calls answered are very long. Many people I have spoken to do not even get an answer when they call the number. In fact, to confirm what I had been told on the ground, a member of my staff made a test call to the number this week to verify the delay and was left listening to a ringing telephone for 35 minutes before he gave up. I suggest that the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, try the number for himself. It is 1800 303413.

The service is not worthy of the Department of Social Protection and it is certainly not good enough for the people of Dublin North. It seems that we have swapped a functioning service for a bad service, with absolutely no explanation on why the change was made. I have been informed by a number of CWOs that the changes were not driven by a lack of capacity to deliver the service locally. I understand there are proposals for existing rent and mortgage claims to be transferred to the new centralised facility in the near future. Before any further claims are transferred to the new facility, I call for a full and detailed explanation on why new applications have been taken away from CWOs. Is it part of an overall strategy and, if so, what is the strategy? Does the Department recognise that the current process is failing people in need of rent supplement?

I know the Minister is committed to reform of the social welfare system in this country. The changes were not introduced under her watch. However, reform is not about removing a functioning system and replacing it with one that is less effective. We must remember that those seeking rent allowance or mortgage assistance are looking for help for that most basic of requirements, namely, shelter. The provision of a roof over one's head is something that some may take for granted but there are people who face such insecurity on a daily basis. That is why we must ensure that the social welfare service meets a number of requirements, not least in the area of efficiency.

The new service is not efficient. Waiting times are excessive. Customer service is virtually non-existent and the delays are having a negative impact on people in need of financial support for housing. I have asked that the decision be reversed with immediate effect. I hope the Minister of State can respond positively to the request, but at a minimum I ask him to address the problems I have described. The response provided to me tonight will be based on a report from the Minister's officials. It will, of necessity, have been prepared in advance and if experience tells me anything, it might suggest that all is well. However, I assure the Minister of State that all is not well.

I accept that we must reform the public service but part of the reform must include a challenge to treat recipients of the service as real people - customers and not mere statistics. The reformed public service to which I look forward must be about efficiency but it must also be about customer service and the need for continual improvement in that regard. The problem I have raised tonight is about none of those and improves nothing. I look forward to the Minister of State's response and in particular to anything he might say specifically on the points I have made tonight.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ryan for raising this important issue. I listened actively to his points and I will address some of them if I can. I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, who conveys her apologies to Deputy Ryan for being unable to attend and reply in person.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is currently administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare services division of the Health Service Executive. Late last year agreement was reached between the Health Service Executive, HSE, and unions representing the community welfare officers that the staff of the community welfare service, CWS, would transfer to the Department of Social Protection with effect from 1 January 2011 on a secondment basis initially. The period of secondment is to last for nine months until the end of September 2011. During this period the staff will remain employees of the HSE but are subject to the general direction and control of the Minister for Social Protection. From 1 October 2011 it is intended that the staff of the CWS will be transferred fully to the Department as civil servants and will be accountable to the Minister in the same way as other civil servants.

Historically, rent supplements have been administered locally by community welfare officers directly to the customer. I note Deputy Ryan's point about customer satisfaction, which is paramount. Based on what Deputy Ryan said, the service is appalling. I hope the people dealing with the issue are listening to his contribution and will take on board what he stated. However, as a result of a large increase in claims being made in recent years and the restriction on staff recruitment in the service, it was decided that priority must be given to the demand on the local service for claims where an immediate decision is needed, such as basic payments and exceptional needs payments. It was considered that rent supplement claims could be delivered more efficiently through centralised units. As Deputy Ryan indicated, that is not the case. It is important that the Minister is made aware of the situation. I will speak to her on the matter. The points raised by Deputy Ryan must be taken on board and addressed.

A unit to provide the service was set up on the north side of Dublin in December 2010 to take claims from Balbriggan, Swords and other areas of north Dublin where a large increase in demand for rent supplement had been experienced. As the Deputy is aware, it is a matter for all Departments and public sector organisations to continue to manage services with diminishing resources taking advantage of business re-engineering possibilities as provided for in the Public Service Agreement 2010-14. The Department has been advised that there are arrangements in place for customers to contact the centralised processing unit in question. A free telephone line - although I listened to the Deputy's comments about the 30-minute waiting time - for the central rents unit is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2.15 p.m. to 5 p.m. However, due to the volume and complexity of calls received, some callers may experience a delay before their calls are answered. Customers can also contact the central rents unit by post at PO Box 11905, Dublin 9, or by e-mail at communitywelfareservice@hse.ie. I have no doubt the Deputy knows all of this. Documents may also be received by fax.

The Department has been further advised that a number of staff in the CWS were employed in a temporary capacity by the HSE in 2010 for a period of six months, including some of the staff of the rent unit in question. These contracts were subsequently extended to June 2011 and are to be gradually withdrawn before the transfer of the CWS to the Department of Health from October. This has placed the unit under increased pressure and resulted in some delays in the processing of claims.

A number of transition managers have been appointed from within the CWS to work with the Department of Social Protection to oversee the transfer of the service to the Department of Health and manage the day-to-day administration of the service. The relevant transition managers are currently in the process of examining the service implications arising from the loss of these temporary staff, particularly from the rent units. They are also examining the model being used to deliver the service to ensure that the most efficient process will be used to improve service delivery, which I certainly hope will happen. Further initiatives are also proposed which will result in improvements in the delays currently being experienced. The matter is being given priority.

The timescale for determining applications for rent supplement is dependent, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as details of applicants' incomes, bank statements and information from landlords. In addition, some aspects of the applications are inevitably time-consuming and delays can occur where further investigations or third-party evidence is required. Delays can also arise if applicants are slow to respond to requests for additional information.

The provision of a prompt service is a major objective and this will continue after the transfer of functions takes place. However, this must be achieved in a manner that is consistent with the demands of natural justice and the need to ensure that every case is fully investigated. While certain cases may take more time to process than others, overall the Department is satisfied that the CWS makes every effort to decide rent supplement claims in an efficient, effective and timely manner and that improvements will occur as a result of the current initiatives. There are no plans to reverse the decision to centralise the administration of rent supplement claims for Balbriggan, Swords and other areas of North Dublin.

I will convey the points raised by the Deputy to the Minister for Social Protection and I have no doubt she will consider them. I hope the improvements I have outlined will address some of these concerns. This may not be the reply the Deputy was seeking, but the Minister will take note of the Deputy's contribution and I hope she will consider some of the actions that may be required to improve the service.