Michael McCarthy (Labour)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this issue on the Adjournment. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to the House. I congratulate him on his reappointment as Minister of State. I would like to declare an interest before I start to talk about the temporary closure of the social welfare office in Dunmanway. The closure occurred when the previous branch manager of the Dunmanway service, Kay McCarthy, who was a cousin and a good friend of mine, sadly passed away in July. Her death was rather traumatic. As the Dunmanway branch has not been reopened since it closed in July, the Bantry office now has to deal with and process social welfare claims from the Dunmanway area. Three jobs have been temporarily lost as a result of this closure, which I hope is temporary. There is no difficulty in providing a premises in Dunmanway. I understand that the managers enter into a contract with the Department, which provides the premises, staff and budget, etc. There is no difficulty with accommodation in Dunmanway — there are a number of suitable premises which can house the office. The building that was being used until July is still available, to the best of my knowledge.

In this era of decentralisation, we should ensure that as many services as possible are retained in a town like Dunmanway, which is geographically at the centre of west Cork. Bord Iascaigh Mhara and the Department of Transport and the Marine are well-established in Clonakilty, for example. It is particularly important that a service that is connected to an arm of the State is retained in Dunmanway, which is a sizeable, vibrant and growing community. The current arrangements are creating difficulties for the officials in Bantry, who have to cover the duties which were performed by the three staff in Dunmanway. It is proving difficult for the social welfare administrators in west Cork to deal with the problems associated with social welfare applications, such as dispensing money and obtaining documentation. An increased administrative burden is falling on the workers in Bantry. Have additional staff members been allocated to Bantry or other locations to help them to deal with the extra workload? As the Minister of State will know, it is a sizeable town and this service needs to be retained and reinstated as soon as possible.

Given the employment history of Dunmanway, it is important it does not lose this facility forever. The old manufacturing facility, Monlycke, closed in the 1990s with the loss of 120 jobs which were never replaced. This is an era of almost full employment and there may be a case to be made that, statistically, the town's employment levels are as good now as before the closure, but the people of Dunmanway want a return of this service. Can the situation be reversed and the office returned to the normal standard of service before its unforeseen closure which was caused by sad circumstances?

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator McCarthy for his good wishes. The Department of Social and Family Affairs delivers a frontline service to its customers through a network of 59 local offices and 66 branch offices countrywide. The main services provided from these offices include jobseeker's payments, one-parent family payment and a customer information service. The 59 local offices are staffed by departmental staff. The 66 branch offices are run by branch managers employed under a contract for service by the Department to administer certain social welfare services to members of the public in their catchment area.

Owing to the sad and untimely death of the branch manager in Dunmanway, arrangements had to be put in place immediately to ensure continuity of service to customers. All claims originally catered for in Dunmanway were transferred to the Department's office in Bantry as an interim arrangement to ensure payments were not interrupted. The number of customers involved included approximately 230 in receipt of a jobseeker's payment and a further 120 on farm assist, back to work and pre-retirement allowance. Since the office closed, 20 customers have signed off the live register.

Arrangements were subsequently made to distribute the claims between five neighbouring branch offices in Bandon, Bantry, Clonakilty, Macroom and Skibbereen. The distribution of the claims took into account the proximity of the adjoining branch offices and the availability of public transport. Customers were facilitated on request to change from their designated branch office when another office proved more accessible. In cases where customers are living more than 16 km from their designated branch office, their signing arrangements were changed to quarterly signing as opposed to the normal monthly signing arrangements. Service to customers has not been interrupted by these arrangements and payments are continuing as they fall due.

It is open to people residing in the Dunmanway catchment area who become unemployed to make a new claim for job seeker's benefit or assistance at any of our offices convenient to them. They may also start the process on-line from the first day they become unemployed. However, they must attend one of the offices in the catchment area to complete the process.

If a customer becomes ill and wants to claim illness benefit, they can forward medical certificates directly to the illness benefit section in Dublin or to any of the social welfare branch offices or local offices convenient to them. A social welfare inspector is located in Dunmanway and this service is being maintained. The office of the inspector is open to the public on Tuesday mornings and deals with any information queries.

In keeping with normal procedures when a branch office post becomes vacant, a review of the delivery of social welfare services in the area served by Dunmanway branch office is being undertaken to determine the most effective way of providing these services in future. The review in respect of Dunmanway is expected to be completed in a month or so. I undertake to bring the concerns expressed by Senator McCarthy to the attention of the Minister and to inform the Senator duly of the Minister's decision.

Michael McCarthy (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Keeffe, for attending the Adjournment of the House. He will appreciate the importance of this issue as it is in the adjoining constituency to his own. Some of his constituents use this office because the bottom of the Dáil constituency of Cork North-West is two miles south of this office and this was the cause of controversy.

As a matter of urgency I ask the Minister of State to ensure this service will be maintained. There is no difficulty with competition for the contract and there is no lack of resources, manpower, ability and accommodation. There is no reason on the Dunmanway side for this office not reopening forthwith.

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Both Senator McCarthy's and my concerns will be conveyed to the Minister.