Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 380: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will provide additional staff to eliminate the long delays in applications being assessed for social assistance in Loughrea and Tuam, County Galway; and the action she will take to provide reasonable processing times for such assessments. [28771/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is determined to ensure that people who have lost their jobs, or been put on shorter working weeks, can get access to their entitlements as quickly as possible. To that end, productivity in local offices has increased, claim processing procedures have been improved and extra staff have been put in place.

Following staffing reviews in 2008 and again in recent months, some 300 extra staff have been assigned to Local Offices, new Central Support Units and the Departments Inspectorate since May 2008. This includes 90 temporary staff who have been appointed to Local Offices around the country pending the assignment of permanent staff. Arrangements are also in train to assign a further 24 inspectors.

An additional staff member is due to report to the Loughrea office in the coming weeks and work is continuing on the assignment of a further member of staff. The office in Tuam is a branch office which operates under a contract for service to the Department and reports to the Loughrea Local Office. Additional staff allocated to the Loughrea office will also have a positive impact on decisions on claims in the Tuam area.

It is not possible to predict when claim processing time targets will be met while the Live Register continues to increase to record numbers. However, every effort is being made to ensure that people get access to financial and other supports as quickly as possible and to bring processing times back in line with targets.

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.