Joe Behan (Wicklow, Independent)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding the case of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9433/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average delay in the processing of social welfare claims in each of the social welfare offices in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9436/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The accompanying table shows the processing times in weeks for each local and branch office in Donegal during January 2010.

The weekly average time for processing jobseekers benefit and jobseekers allowance applications in Donegal offices for January was 1.53 weeks and 3.27 weeks respectively. These are ahead of the national average processing times of 2.15 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 6.82 weeks for jobseekers allowance in the same month.

The huge rise in unemployment over the past 18 months or so has presented difficulties for the Department's network of local offices and the inspectorate. Measures have been taken to alleviate this pressure including the assignment of additional staff and claim acceptance and decision processes have been examined with a view to streamlining them and achieving greater efficiencies where possible.

I realise the importance of getting claims decided as quickly as possible and I can assure the Deputy that staff in local offices and in the Department's inspectorate are doing all they can to minimise delays in dealing with claims for jobseeker payments.

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when jobseeker's allowance will be awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9445/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway was refused the family income supplement. [9447/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 184: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9448/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of registered addresses at which rent supplement is being paid to individuals in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9491/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Department.

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support, to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The most up to date figures available at this time pertain to the year ending December 2009. The following table details the numbers of rent supplement claims in the relevant Dublin postal districts.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the details of a person (details supplied) can be permanently updated on her Department's database, as a matter of course. [9496/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Due to staff action currently being taken, I regret that I am unable to provide the information sought by the Deputy.