John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to centralise the means testing of social welfare benefits; if he has had discussions with the Health Service Executive to ensure non-duplication of this process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39969/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates a range of means tested schemes and these schemes, including the means testing elements, are administered through a network of local offices, central offices and, in the case of supplementary welfare allowance, through the offices of community welfare officers. My Department is not currently considering the centralising of means testing of social welfare payments. However, two important projects are underway which will enhance the delivery of means tested payments. Firstly, a project to facilitate the capture and storage of means information and the calculation of customer means across social assistance schemes is being undertaken at present. These schemes include Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance (currently administered by the Health Service Executive).

One of the benefits of this project is that the Department will be, where appropriate, able to re-use means information already held which in turn will provide better customer service by reducing the need for different parts of the Department to request information from the applicant. Other benefits of this project include;

achieving qualitative and quantitative improvements in productivity

achieving value for money in the use of resources;

implementing secure control processes;

providing better management information;

allowing for the future introduction of mobile working to facilitate the electronic capture of data at time of investigation; and

placing the Department in a position to anticipate and respond to changing business demands e.g. additional means factors, changes to scheme rules etc.

This project is expected to be completed in by April 2011.

Secondly, the integration of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) into the Department will result in a more coordinated approach to the provision of service to the public. This will create opportunities to remove duplication of work, including in the area of means assessment. The target date for the transfer is 1st January 2011 and discussions in that regard are continuing with the unions representing the CWS employees concerned and with the unions representing the Department's existing staff.