Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of unauthorised payments made in respect of jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit in each local area social welfare office; the average length of processing time of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34493/08]

Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she has taken to reduce the waiting times for jobseeker payments at local social welfare offices; the targets that are in place for processing times and the extent to which these are currently being met. [34881/08]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she is taking to augment staffing levels in her Department to deal with the increased demand from the growing number of new entrants onto the live register. [34872/08]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 441: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of claims in respect of jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit being processed; the way that this compares to the number of applicants processed during the same week in 2006 and 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34852/08]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 442: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average waiting time of applicants for jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit to be processed; the way this compares to the average waiting time in the same week in 2006 and in 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34853/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 151, 177, 441 and 442 together.

The Department is committed to providing a high quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary between the two jobseeker schemes and involve, among other things, the need to establish the person's social insurance record, establish the person's identity or their place of habitual residence and to assess means where appropriate. In some cases delays arise where the person fails to supply all pertinent information in support of their application.

The standard for claim processing is 70% of jobseekers allowance claims and 85% of jobseekers benefit claims to be processed in 2 weeks. Due to the sharp rise in the numbers claiming a jobseeker's payment, this standard is not being met. The average time for applications processed in September was 3 weeks for jobseekers benefit claims and 6 weeks for jobseekers allowance claims. This compares to 2 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 3 weeks for jobseekers allowance claims in September 2006 and September 2007.

Deputies will be aware that anyone who is under financial pressure while awaiting a decision on their claim for a jobseekers payment can apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is subject to a means test and other qualifying conditions.

The Department delivers a frontline service through a network of 61 Local Offices and 64 Branch Offices countrywide. Local Offices are staffed by civil servants whereas the Branch Offices operate under a contract for service. All decisions on claims are made in the Local Office.

The overall performance in any individual office in processing claims can be adversely affected by a wide variety of factors; including increased inflow of claims, staff vacancies and the duration of such vacancies and the turnover of staff in the office.

The Department has put a range of measures in place to deal with the extra workload arising from the increase in the Live Register. These include:

additional posts assigned from other parts of the Dept; — use of temporary staff to fill vacancies;

extension of temporary staff contracts in certain offices;

increased overtime; and

prioritisation of work.

These measures are being reviewed on a continuous basis.

A total of 21,437 jobseekers benefit claims and 10,224 jobseekers allowance claims were processed in September 2008. The corresponding figures for 2006 and 2007 are as follows:

At the end of September 2007 the Live Register stood at 160,451 and at the end of September 2008 it was 240,217. The number of claims awaiting decision at 3 October 2008 and in the corresponding period in 2006 and 2007 is as follows:

The number of claims awaiting decision in each office is set out in the following tabular statement.