Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 168: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her proposals to alleviate hardship caused by delays in processing applications for various social welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9457/09]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 170: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she will take to ensure that persons becoming unemployed do not suffer hardship while awaiting a decision on their application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9459/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 170 together.

This Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as expeditiously as possible. The staff and other resources available to the Department are regularly reviewed having regard to the workload arising and other competing demands. The available resources are then used to discharge the Department's obligations towards our claimants and in implementing cost effective controls to prevent and detect fraud and abuse. With the increase in the number of people applying for jobseeker's payments staff in local offices have been working extremely hard to process claims as quickly as possible, however there are delays in some areas.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). SWA provides a safety net against poverty in that it gives a statutory entitlement to a minimum weekly income, based on criteria set out in legislation.

SWA payments are divided into two main categories:

those who have income needs that cannot be met from mainline social welfare payments, and

those awaiting a social welfare payment.

The majority of SWA claims are processed within a matter of days. Any instance of excessive delays in processing claims should be brought to the attention of Community Welfare Service management in the particular Health Service Executive area.