James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 79: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time it takes in respect of a claim for jobseeker's benefit to be dealt with. [9007/10]

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 87: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average processing time for a jobseeker's allowance claim to be dealt with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9001/10]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 108: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons on a national, county and local social welfare office basis awaiting for their application for jobseeker's allowance and benefit to be processed. [9009/10]

P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 109: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time for individual social welfare offices to deal with a claim for jobseeker's allowance. [8998/10]

Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 112: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the processing time for each individual social welfare office to deal with a claim in respect of jobseeker's benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9002/10]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 133: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps she will take to shorten the waiting times in respect of jobseeker's payments. [8914/10]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 79, 87, 108, 109, 112 and 133 together.

The total number of jobseekers awaiting a decision on their claim at 13 February 2010 was 54,534. This is a reduction of over 7,500 compared with the figures one month earlier and represents 11% of the total jobseeker claimload nationwide.

As I have previously mentioned to the House, even when the Live Register was at its lowest, there would always be 9 or 10 per cent of claims awaiting a decision. The current performance should be seen in the context that in 2009 alone, local offices received over 670,000 jobseeker claims.

I have set out below a table showing the breakdown of jobseekers benefit (JB) and jobseekers allowance (JA) claims awaiting a decision at each local office.

Average processing times for jobseeker claims decided during January were 2.15 weeks for jobseeker's benefit and 6.82 weeks for jobseeker's allowance. This is marginally higher than the figures for December 2009 when they stood at 2.03 weeks and 6.22 weeks respectively. The slight dis-improvement was caused by the Christmas/New Year holiday period together with extra numbers coming onto the live register at the start of the year. This happens every year.

I have also set out below a table showing the processing times at each local office during January.

Deputies will be aware of the particular difficulties presented due to the huge rise in unemployment in the past 18 months or so and the pressure this has brought to bear on the network of local offices and in the inspectorate.

To alleviate some of this pressure since May 2008, some 400 extra staff have been assigned to local offices, new Central Support Units and the Departments Inspectorate. At the same time the Department has been examining procedures surrounding the claim acceptance and decisions process with a view to streamlining them and achieving greater efficiencies where possible. I have mentioned these initiatives on a number of occasions. They include:

An appointment system whereby claimants can have their claim taken and decided during the appointment. This particular initiative has helped greatly in reducing waiting times. We have this system in operation in 33 local offices and plan to extend it to further offices.

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.

One of these streamlining initiatives, which is being trialled at present, relates to customers who are applying for jobseekers allowance on the termination of their jobseekers benefit entitlement.

In any of these cases where there are no elements of self-employment or property involved in the means assessment, the person will self-certify the various components of their means and a decision will be made by the Deciding Officer without the need to refer the claim to an Inspector. As a control measure a certain proportion of these claims will be selected at random and will be referred to an inspector for verification of the declaration of means in advance of the decision being made. It is expected that this initiative will be rolled out to the network of local offices in the coming months.

I realise the importance of getting claims decided as quickly as possible and I want to assure the House that staff in local offices and in the Department's inspectorate are doing all they can to reduce the numbers of claims awaiting a decision.

Table 1

Jobseeker claims awaiting a decision – 13 Feb 2010

Table 1

Average Processing times for Jobseeker claims in January 2010