Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. Many people are becoming unemployed and lodging claims for benefits. It is a matter of considerable concern that it takes eight to ten weeks to process many of these claims. Are these delays also due to checks being carried out or can they be explained by pressure on services or a shortage of staff to deal with them? Is it a case of checking out the credentials of claimants and so forth? The problem described by the Minister should not be as significant in the case of claims for unemployment benefits.