Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 109: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time for a claim for jobseeker's benefit to be dealt with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34276/09]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the measures to expedite jobseekers' applications will be rolled out nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34250/09]

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the delays which exist in processing jobseeker's benefit applications which can take up to 15 weeks to process and of longer delays in processing claims for jobseeker's allowance, an example of which is a claim lodged on 24 March which was not finalised until 10 September 2009; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that people who have exhausted their jobseeker's benefit and are awaiting the processing of their jobseeker's allowance are being refused supplementary welfare allowance and in the meantime are left without any means; and the steps she will take to deal with such situations. [34377/09]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she has taken to minimise delays in the processing times for jobseeker payments. [34394/09]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the average queuing time at social welfare offices. [34380/09]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time for each individual social welfare office to deal with a claim for jobseeker's benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34279/09]

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time for a claim in respect of jobseeker's allowance to be dealt with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34273/09]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average waiting time for a jobseeker's claim to be dealt with. [34382/09]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time for each individual social welfare office to deal with a claim for jobseeker's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34283/09]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason for the increase in processing times for jobseeker payments during August 2009; and the system in place to ensure that claims are processed while staff are on annual leave. [34395/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 109, 111, 114, 121, 122, 124, 137, 144,145 and 176 together.

The average processing times for claims decided in September was 3.63 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 7.53 weeks for jobseekers allowance. This is the average nationally and there are fluctuations between offices. The length of time it takes to process claims varies depending on the complexity of the claim, the availability of the necessary documentation from the applicant and or his/her employer and in the case of jobseekers allowance, the need to carry out additional enquires including the assessment of means and whether the claimant satisfies the Habitual Residence Condition.

Processing times can also vary from office to office due to the extent of the increased claimload, the number of staff vacancies, the duration of such vacancies and the turnover of staff in the office which impacts on the overall level of experience in the office.

The Department put a particular focus on a number of offices in dealing with the older claims during August which would have impacted adversely on average processing times for the month. Tabular statements are set out below showing the average processing time for claims decided in September for each local and branch office and the number of claims that are pending award.

Over the past number of months the Department has introduced a range of process improvement initiatives to deal with the increased volume of claims including:

§ A more streamlined procedure for claimants moving to jobseekers allowance when their jobseekers benefit expires.

§ A streamlined process for people who had a claim in the previous two years.

§ Application forms for the jobseeker schemes are now available on the Department's website. This means that anyone who wants to make a claim can print the form at home and bring it to the local office completed. This helps reduce queuing times.

§ More straight-forward procedures for providing evidence of identity and address have been introduced

§ The process for casual employees has been streamlined and the employee can now self-certify on a weekly basis without recourse to the employer. A compensatory periodic control measure has been introduced for employers.

§ One of the most significant initiatives introduced recently aimed at reducing queuing times and waiting times involves the customer attending the office by appointment at which time the claim is taken and decided. This system has already been introduced in 20 offices and the Department is finalising plans to extend the initiative to a further 20 offices.

The signing arrangements have also been revised in a number of offices and customers have been given an appointed time to attend the office in order to reduce queuing times.

While every effort is made to ensure that applications are processed as quickly as possible, 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. It is open to any customer who is not satisfied with the decision on their claim to appeal that decision.

I fully appreciate that becoming unemployed and having to claim a jobseekers payment is stressful enough in itself. By introducing these initiatives I am trying to ensure that the process is as easy as it possibly can be. I know that processing times in some areas are still too long and I assure you that steps are being taken to bring them back to acceptable levels.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on persons travelling to other EU countries to seek employment, in receipt of jobseeker's assistance, who are being penalised for failing to comply with the instructions of social welfare inspectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34232/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Social Welfare Acts, a customer is disqualified for receiving jobseeker's allowance while resident, either permanently or temporarily, outside the State. Consequently, the allowance is not payable to persons travelling to other EU countries to seek employment.

There are, however, two exceptions to this disqualification. A person may receive jobseeker's allowance for up to two weeks in any calendar year while on holidays abroad. There is also an exemption for anyone who is representing Ireland at an international sporting event in an amateur capacity. This exemption applies for the duration of the international sporting event and is additional to the two weeks holiday in any calendar year.

Under EU regulations, a person who is getting jobseekers benefit can transfer their claim to another EU member State for up to 13 weeks in order to look for work in that country. However, this provision does not apply to persons on jobseekers allowance.

To qualify a person must also have been in receipt of JB for at least 4 weeks before they leave for the second Member State.

They must apply to their local office in advance to obtain the necessary documents to provide to the social security organisation in the member state to which they are travelling.

They must register as a person seeking work with the employment services of each of the Member States to which they go to seek work with seven days and be subject to the control procedure organised therein.

A person will generally lose their benefits if they do not return to the competent Member State within 3 months.

People who comply with this procedure should not experience any difficulties.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people claiming rent supplement for more than 18 months; her views on the slow transfer of people from rent supplement onto the rental accommodation scheme; the action she is taking to address this problem; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34262/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently almost 91,000 tenants benefiting from a rent supplement payment - an increase of 52% since the end of 2007. Over half of these recipients have been in payment for more than one year, while over 32,000 have been in payment for 18 months or more.

The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which was introduced in 2004, gives local authorities specific responsibility for meeting the longer term housing needs of people receiving rent supplement for 18 months or more. Details of these cases are notified regularly by the Department to the local authorities. Local authorities meet the housing needs of these individuals through a range of approaches including the traditional range of social housing options, the voluntary housing sector and, in particular, RAS.

Latest figures from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DoEHLG) indicate that to date, local authorities have transferred over 12,000 rent supplement cases to RAS units. Housing authorities have also transferred a further 10,400 recipients to other social housing options, a total of over 22,400 transfers since 2005. Almost 7,000 recipients were transferred in 2008.

It is accepted that progress in relation to RAS was initially slower than expected. However the pace of delivery has improved significantly, and in 2009 a target has been set of transferring an additional 7,000 households from rent supplement.

In addition to this official target, due to the numbers of unsold affordable stock around the country, an opportunity has been created to make use of some of these properties for RAS and it is expected that additional transfers may be possible in 2009, above that provided for by the 2009 target. The position regarding the availability of property is monitored on an ongoing basis, given the current market condition, and there may be an opportunity to achieve further transfers.

The changes made in Budget 2009 to better align the minimum weekly contribution required from tenants under the rent supplement scheme with that under the RAS should also encourage more people to take up RAS offers.

The Department continues to work closely with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in ensuring that RAS meets its objective of catering for those on long term rent supplementation while enabling rent supplement to return to its original role of a short-term income support.