Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the action he will take to alleviate the congestion in the processing of all forms of social welfare payments having regard to the hardship caused to the persons in need at a time of economic, social and personal stress; if he will arrange for the redeployment of the necessary staff from other Departments to deal with the backlog of applications and appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39973/10]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 91: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to reduce waiting times for processing claims across all schemes. [40042/10]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 357: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to deal with the backlog on social welfare claims. [40366/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 91 and 357 together.

The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers. To this end, operational processes and procedures and the organisation of work are reviewed in all areas of the Department. These reviews are supported by modern technology, the potential of which is continuously harnessed. Claims are processed in the most efficient and expeditious way possible, having regard to the eligibility conditions that apply to each scheme.

Processing times vary across schemes because of both the volume of applications and the differing qualification criteria. For example, means assessments are required for all of the social assistance schemes; medical examinations are required for some of the illness related schemes and customers must also satisfy the habitual residence conditions. In the case of the insurance-based schemes, it may be necessary to ascertain details of foreign insurance records.

The main impact on service delivery has arisen due to the increase in the Live Register which increased from 240,217 at September 2008 to 419,854 at September 2009 and 442,417 at September 2010. In response, all aspects of the work associated with the processing of claims has been examined and streamlined wherever possible. In this context, the Department has introduced a range of process improvement initiatives regarding claims for Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit. One of the most significant initiatives, aimed at reducing queuing times and waiting times, involves the customer attending their Local Office by appointment at which time the claim is taken and decided.

In addition, a range of other process improvements have been introduced which include: § A more streamlined procedure for claimants moving to jobseeker's 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 straightforward procedures for providing evidence of identity and address have been introduced; § The Department has also simplified processing methods for some customers who work casually, part-time or on systematic short-time work.

Since May 2008, 766 staff have been assigned to my Department, mainly through the transfer and redeployment of staff from other Government Departments. The staff assigned have filled additional posts and critical vacancies in Local Offices, Support Units, Scheme areas and the Department's Inspectorate. Some of these posts were sourced through a staff levy imposed on other Government Departments in April 2009.

A number of initiatives have also been put in place to enhance the capacity of the Social Welfare Appeals Office to deal with the current caseload and inflows. In that regard: · 2 additional Appeals Officers were assigned to the Office in 2009, · A number of additional staff were assigned to the administration area of the Office, · The organisation of the Appeals Officer's work has been changed so as to increase productivity, · A project to improve the business processes in the office was undertaken which has resulted in a number of improvements being implemented, and · Significant enhancements have been made to the office's IT and phone systems. · Eight experienced retired Appeals Officers have been re-employed on a part-time basis since July 2010.

In conclusion, I wish to assure Deputies that service delivery remains a key priority in my Department and that processes are kept under continuous review to ensure that services are delivered promptly to customers. Staffing needs are also kept under constant review to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources.