Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her Department has prepared projections for the number of new cases to be processed by the Newbridge social welfare office in 2009; the details of these projections; if any additional front-line staff are to be provided to cover for expected increases in demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8732/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Many commentators have expressed varying estimates as to the numbers on the Live Register over the coming year. However, it is not possible to make predictions with any degree of accuracy on the future loss of employment either nationally or in specific areas of the country.

Even where it is known that there is to be a loss or reduction in employment in a particular area, this does not necessarily imply that the applications for a jobseekers payment will all fall to a particular local office. This would be particularly true in the Dublin area where a closure in one particular company could impact on claimloads in any of the Dublin offices or on offices in the surrounding counties or even further afield.

During the past year an additional 8 staff have been assigned to the local office in Newbridge and a further 2 staff were recruited on a temporary contract with effect from 2nd March.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 319: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a system will be put in place to ease the pressure on social welfare local office staff in regard to the signing on of part-time and temporary workers (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8743/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The education sector to which the Deputy refers includes not only teachers but also school bus drivers, school wardens and other school related employees. If they have no entitlement to payment of wages from their employer during school breaks then they are regarded as unemployed during those periods. As such, they are entitled to make a claim for jobseeker's benefit or allowance. It is not simply a question of signing on to avoid a break in their PRSI record. They are claiming a jobseeker's payment and must satisfy the conditions of the jobseeker schemes just the same as any other jobseeker. People applying for a jobseeker's payment must apply for the scheme in person to the appointed local office or branch office for their area of residence.

However, the Department is continually examining its processes and procedures with a view to streamlining them in order to deal expeditiously with claims in these difficult times.