Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister for Social Protection not available?

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The matter is being taken by the Minister of State, Deputy Perry.

Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I draw the attention of the Minister and the House to a growing and serious problem in the payment and collection of social welfare payments, for example, in my own community in Lucan village.

The number of people collecting welfare payments in Lucan village amounts to approximately 1,200 every week. The current arrangement is that payments are collected by this large number of people on a couple of days every week. Lucan post office, which is well run and efficient with friendly staff who conduct their business in a well run way, is ideally located to suit the needs of local residents and businesses in the heart of Lucan village. Its business includes the services of collecting pensions, allowances and social welfare payments. The nearest social welfare office, commonly known as the employment exchange, is in Clondalkin which is 6 km away and there is not a good bus service between the two communities.

A number of issues have arisen in both communities in recent times. At times, the queue of people collecting payments stretches out onto the street and around the corner in Lucan village in all sorts of weather. I am sure the Minister of State appreciates the fact that in these times when an increasing number of people are dependent on social welfare payments, this is a far from ideal way to protect people's dignity and avoid embarrassment, particularly if the weather is inclement.

I ask the Minister to give consideration to the following suggestion that payments be spread over a number of days. This would help the service to be run in a more efficient way and would not require embarrassment or loss of dignity on the part of people. There have even been occasions when the support of gardaí was needed to manage the queues.

The current situation is having a depressing effect on people who are already personally challenged by having to sign on to receive social welfare payments. Having to spend up to an hour queueing, often out in the street in inclement weather, could be avoided with careful management and due consideration. I understand there is a similar problem in the post office in the Mill Centre in Clondalkin, where people often have to queue on the street.

This is a problem in my constituency. I ask the Minister to take account of the remedy I am suggesting and which I believe will help to deal with the problem. I have discussed the situation with some business proprietors, informally with the gardaí and with local residents who are discommoded by the problem. I also ask the Minister to consider establishing a permanent, or even a temporary, social welfare office in the greater Lucan area. I am sure the Minister of State is aware, given the economic circumstances affecting the retail industry, that many outlets are available and could be used, even in the short term, to help prevent this great imposition on people.

The thrust of my representation is to ask the Minister to give serious consideration to finding a remedy whereby social welfare payments to the 1,200 hundred people in Lucan village can be spread over five days, with an overflow on Saturday morning, rather than being confined to two days.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I am happy to take this important matter on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection and I thank Deputy Keating for raising it.

The quality of customer service that people receive at post offices is important to the Department and to An Post, which has responsibility for that service. The Deputy referred to the high numbers of customers collecting welfare payments at Lucan post office on Thursdays and Fridays. The Department is aware that there are instances of queuing at Lucan post office on Fridays, but An Post has advised that there is no abnormal or extensive queuing on Thursdays.

An Post and the Department have taken a number of measures to address the problems evident on Fridays. Lucan post office now opens at 8 am on Fridays. The Department is also examining the scope for moving some payments to alternative collection days in an effort to alleviate the situation. Some 240 customers who normally receive payments at Lucan post office on a Friday payday have been moved to a Tuesday payday. The process of changing payment days is complex and must be managed closely to ensure customer service is not interrupted. On foot of work over the past number of weeks, this change took effect today. The impact of this change will be monitored by the Department in consultation with An Post. The Department will continue to liaise with An Post to monitor the effectiveness of these remedies and what further scope for improvement is available.

We have been advised by An Post that there have been no queuing incidents whereby a Garda presence was requested or required at Lucan post office. The Department was made aware of delays at the post office on Friday, 23 December when longer queues developed at Lucan post office. The Deputy will appreciate that this is one of the busiest days of the year for all businesses and commercial bodies, including An Post. Given that all banking and financial institutions were closing for the Christmas period of up to five days, the queues experienced at post offices and throughout other financial institutions were exceptional.

While An Post has advised the Department of Social Protection that on Friday, 23 December no Garda presence was requested or required to manage queues, we understand gardaí were in the vicinity as part of their own operational deployment that day. The gardaí advised people waiting for service in the post office that pickpockets were active in the locality and of the need to be vigilant. An Post has advised that they do not consider there were any health and safety implications on the day.

With regard to the availability of funds at the post office, An Post has confirmed that the post office in Lucan did not run out of money on 23 December 2011. However, the Department has been advised by An Post that, due to an unusually heavy volume of business and demand for cheque encashment, Lucan post office experienced a greater than expected demand for cash late on Friday evening, 2 September. As a consequence, the postmaster was concerned that he might not be able to deal with all customers, including welfare customers, pending a further cash delivery from An Post. He, therefore, asked a small number of customers, believed to be in the order of ten or 12 social welfare customers, if they would agree to delaying the collection of their entitlements. It should be noted that the payment to customers was not refused. Additional cash was made available by An Post to Lucan post office on Saturday, 3 September and again on Monday, 5 September to deal with the higher number of transactions. An Post has advised that the ten or 12 social welfare customers who were not dealt with on the Friday or Saturday had their payments effected by the following Monday.

As the Deputy will appreciate, it is important for security reasons to ensure that excess cash is not unnecessarily held in its offices. It is also important that An Post offices have at all times adequate cash to meet the needs of its customers. This involves ongoing active management of cash at its offices. The Department of Social Protection has engaged with An Post to ensure that all its customers will be paid on their due date. An Post has given assurances that measures have been put in place to ensure that this will not happen again.

I would like to assure the Deputy that the Department will continue to work closely with An Post to ensure that together, we provide a high quality service to our customers.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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That is some good news for Deputy Keating.

Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply to a number of issues I have raised. I take some comfort from the fact that An Post has give assurances that measures have been put in place to ensure that certain events will not happen again. However, this will need to be monitored. The Minister of State referred to the Garda Síochána warning customers to be vigilant to the presence of pickpockets. I had also included this in my report. If the activity taking place is leading to potential pickpocketing then this is further recognition of the problem.

The thrust of my representations on this issue is to have the payments for those 1,200 spread over five days rather than two. The Minister of State in his reply states that some 240 customers who normally receive payments at Lucan post office on Fridays, have now been moved to Tuesday pay day. I am not sure this will remedy the problem because notwithstanding some of the issues I have raised which have been contested in the report, anybody can go to Lucan post office any Thursday and Friday and see the queues out the door. This situation will not change with 240 customers being moved to a Tuesday pay day. The situation requires a more comprehensive adjustment and I ask why this cannot be made. I am willing to wait to see the impact of the 240 customers moving to a Tuesday pay day beginning this week but I ask the Minister of State to keep this under review and I would be happy to discuss it with him or the Minister.

John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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An Post currently has a network of 1,153 post offices and a further 173 postal agencies through which 50% of the Department's customer payments are issued. The Department of Social Protection accounts for a large volume of retail customers in individual post offices, the post offices provide agency services for a number of other entities, including a front line banking service, payment of utility bills, etc. An Post has assured the Department that it makes all reasonable efforts to minimise queueing for our customers and for its other customers during pressure periods. An Post has assured the Department of its capability to deliver social welfare payments to our customers and it constantly reviews its service throughout the network to ensure delivery. If An Post considers further post offices are warranted or sustainable in any area, plans will be put in place to advertise a contract for the provision of those services.

Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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If I may make a final point in conclusion. I appreciate the final comments of the Minister of State regarding An Post's willingness to consider additional post offices where necessary as well as to considering the adjustments to which I referred. This is a critical factor, particularly in the age in which we live with the growing dependency on social welfare payments. I know it is this Government's priority to reverse this dependency within the lifetime of the Government.