Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and granted jobseeker's benefit. [6513/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's benefit payment on 15 January, 2009. Despite requests he has not yet provided his P45 or a letter from his employer stating the date of termination of his employment. When all of the required information is received a decision will be made on his claim and he will be notified of the outcome.

Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of claims for jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit being processed; how this compares to the number of applicants being processed in the same week in 2006, 2007 and 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6563/09]

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average waiting time for applicants for jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit to be processed; how this compares to the average waiting time in the same week in 2006, 2007 and in 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6564/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.

With the increase in the number of people applying for unemployment payments in particular, staff in social welfare offices have been working extremely hard to process claims as quickly as possible.

Productivity has increased significantly. Nearly 155,000 claims were processed in Local Offices in the last quarter of 2008 (including the One Family Payment). This compares with less than 89,000 in the last quarter of 2007, representing an increase of 74%.

I know that processing times in some areas are still too long and I assure Deputies that we are doing our best to reduce them. I appreciate that becoming unemployed is a very difficult time in a person's life and that they need to get access to financial and other supports as quickly as possible.

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 Department — use of temporary staff to fill vacancies — extension of temporary staff contracts in certain offices — increased overtime — prioritisation of work.

The average time for applications processed in January was 2.47 weeks for jobseeker's benefit claims and 5.92 weeks for jobseeker's allowance claims. This compares to 2 weeks for jobseeker's benefit and 4 weeks for jobseeker's allowance claims in January 2006, January 2007 and January 2008.

The Deputy will be aware that anyone who is under financial pressure while awaiting a decision on their claim for a jobseeker's payment can apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is subject to a means test and other qualifying conditions. These measures are being reviewed on a continuous basis.

A table showing the number of claims processed in January 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 is set out below.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 197: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when rent support will be reviewed and arrears awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6580/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As advised in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 977 of 27 January 2009, the person concerned has indicated to the community welfare officer that she is no longer in receipt of maintenance payments. The Health Service Executive has advised the person concerned that it requires a statement from the solicitor of the father of her child, which indicates what maintenance payments, if any, are being made to her.

Entitlement to rent supplement will be reviewed once the requested documentary evidence has been provided.