Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of persons primarily employed to process entitlement payments (details supplied) in schemes or agencies under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20822/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the term 'entitlement payments', when used in the context of the benefit schemes that my Department provides, implies guaranteed access to benefits conferred by rights or by statute, where the costs must be met by the Exchequer.

The position is that my Department operates no schemes that confer entitlements in the areas to which the Deputy refers in his Question. Those areas do, however, process a range of payments other than entitlement payments and 5.2 Departmental staff (full-time equivalents) are engaged in such work.