Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to reduce waiting times for processing claims across all schemes. [43851/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to reduce the ongoing delays in the processing of applications for social welfare entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43870/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to address hardship caused by delays in processing applications for various social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44065/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 261: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason he has allowed backlogs in his Department continue to cause hardship to many vulnerable persons in the Country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44070/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 67, 68, 256 and 261 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 240,200 at September 2008 to 419,800 at September 2009 and 442,400 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:

· 3 additional Appeals Officers were assigned to the Office since January 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.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 72: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if research was conducted on the impact of the removal of the Christmas bonus payment on families and on local retail after the removal of the bonus and if so the nature and findings of the research. [43769/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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No research was conducted on the impact of the removal of the Christmas bonus payment at family level or local retail level. In the current economic and financial crisis the Government's main priority must be to restore stability to the public finances. The measures necessary to achieve this will impact on everybody's living standards. The Supplementary Budget of April 2009 provided for the discontinuance of the Christmas Bonus. No provision has been made for the payment of a Christmas Bonus in the 2010 Estimate.

The cost of paying a 100% Christmas Bonus in 2010 would be in the region of €226 million.

Social welfare expenditure for 2011 will be considered in the context of the forthcoming Budget having regard to both the needs and to the resources available to meet those needs. In an uncertain economic environment, the priority will be to ensure that the Government strategy to stabilise the financial position is advanced and to protect those most in need in a manner which is sustainable in the years ahead.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 73: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to allow far greater access to postgraduate study under the back to education allowance. [43858/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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With effect from 19th July 2010, changes have been introduced to the back to education allowance scheme (BTEA) to increase flexibility in terms of accessing the scheme. The period for which a person is required to be on a qualifying social welfare payment before accessing BTEA was reduced from 12 months to 9 months (a 2 year qualifying period continues to apply to participants coming from Illness Benefit). People who are awarded statutory redundancy may access the scheme immediately, provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established prior to commencing an approved course of study. In addition, a person in certain circumstances can avail of BTEA to resume studies in a second or subsequent year of a third level course whereas prior to July, a person could only apply for BTEA if s/he was commencing year one of a course.

The back to education scheme covers courses of education from second level to higher diploma level in any discipline [level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)] and to a Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary and Secondary Teaching; level 9 in NFQ) which add significantly to a person's employability. BTEA will not usually be approved if a person holds a qualification equivalent or higher than the qualification for which the application has been received. Other postgraduate qualifications (level 9 or level 10) are not included.

However, a small number of cases have arisen where a college has granted an exemption from the requirement to hold a primary degree and has admitted a person to a Master's course on the basis of relevant life experience. In the context of the ongoing monitoring of the operation of the scheme, it has been decided to extend entitlement to the Back to Education Allowance in these instances on an exceptional basis.

The focus of the Back to Education Allowance is to assist those who are most marginalised and distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system. People in possession of a third level qualification have already achieved a high level of academic attainment which should impact positively on their employment prospects. Furthermore, the scheme was never intended to be an alternative form of funding for people entering or re-entering the third level education system.