Joanna Tuffy (Labour)
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I am raising the issue of the need for the Department of Social and Family Affairs to put in place procedures to speed up the processing of forms for agents who collect social welfare payments on behalf of claimants who are unable to cash their payable order books due to illness or loss of mobility. Would the Minister consider providing special priority envelopes for such applications as I have suggested?

A number of constituents have contacted me about problems collecting their pensions due to illness. They applied to the Department of Social and Family Affairs to get permission for an agent to collect their pension books on their behalf but there has been a delay. For example, a person telephoned me and explained why he did not receive his pension. When the person rang the Department's offices in Sligo, he was initially told that the book could not be located. Later, he was told that it would be returned to the local post office and, in the meantime, the person should go to the community welfare office to get a payment. This was not appropriate as the person in question is not mobile and being asked to go to the community welfare officer is not realistic. The person should not have been put in that position.

In a similar situation an elderly lady wanted to get permission for her home help to collect her pension on her behalf but, when she wrote to the Department's offices in Sligo, there was a delay in processing the application. She was told that she should go to the community welfare officer and get a payment in the meantime, which would not be practical for many reasons. Moreover, many people would not like to do that, as they believe that it should only be done as a last resort. When the two elderly people in question telephoned the Department, they were left hanging on the line for a long time. I am not blaming the Department as many calls are received by the Department.

For people who want to apply for an agent to collect their pensions on their behalf, would the Minister consider providing a special envelope that they could send to the Department? They could then give it priority and deal with it immediately. This concerns elderly people, pensioners living on a low income who may live on their own, and this suggestion is one way the matter could be dealt with by the Department.

Michael Brennan (Progressive Democrats)
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I thank Senator Tuffy for raising this matter. My Department administers a wide range of income support schemes and these payments are made to claimants either on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis depending on the nature of the payment. Payments for long-term schemes, including certain illness and disability schemes, are generally made by a book of payable orders which are cashed at post offices. Alternatively, payments may be made directly into a claimant's bank or building society account or, in certain instances, by cheque.

In the vast majority of cases payments are made directly to the person who is entitled to that payment. However, there are circumstances under social welfare legislation, where payment may be made directly to persons other than the claimant with the agreement of the claimant and my Department. Such persons are appointed to act as agents to collect payments on behalf of a claimant. Generally agents are appointed where a person is unable to cash the payment due to frailty, incapacity or loss of mobility. They may also be appointed in cases where a person is permanently unable to act for themselves or to discharge responsibility. In many cases parents, guardians or other family members are appointed as agents.

My Department has formalised service level agreements with 112 residential or other service providers for the management of moneys relating to the disability allowance payment. Some 81,000 persons have been appointed to act as agents or on behalf of social welfare recipients for the purposes of long-term disability schemes and old age or widow's pensions. These agents have been appointed to collect social welfare payments for approximately 40,000 persons in receipt of old age, retirement or widow's payments, some 10,400 persons in receipt of invalidity pension and some 28,600 persons in receipt of disability allowance.

My Department is committed to providing a quality service to aid its customers. This includes ensuring that applications for appointment of agents are processed as expeditiously as possible having regard to the necessary safeguards and conditions that apply. In all cases where a person applies to become an agent a written application is required, with the consent of the social welfare claimant where possible.

The agent is appointed by my Department on the understanding that the social welfare payment due will be spent for the benefit of the person concerned. While every effort is made to offer an efficient service this must be balanced by the need to ensure that social welfare entitlements and payments are appropriately managed. An agency arrangement may be withdrawn at any time by my Department where it has reason to believe that the social welfare payment is not being used for the benefit of the claimant.

In normal circumstances, where the necessary application and supporting documentation have been provided, agents are appointed for the purposes of collecting payments within a period of three days to a week. In instances where a person is permanently unable to act for himself or herself, the case is issued to a social welfare inspector for completion of the appropriate documentation and verification of the agency arrangement. There are unavoidable time lags in determining such cases as the necessary investigations and inquiries must first be completed. However, these cases only represent 9% of the total number of agents appointed.

I appreciate Senator Tuffy raising this matter, I have listened to her carefully and I note her request that the Department provide special priority envelopes for such applications. This will be examined.