Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will lift the recruitment embargo on clerical officers to speed up the processing of social welfare claims. [4648/11]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed under the National Recovery Plan to reducing the size of the civil and public service and to ensuring staff resources are used more efficiently through the implementation of new business processes and redeployment of surplus staff to areas of critical need. In this regard over 500 staff have already been redeployed from other Government Departments and Offices to the Department of Social Protection to prioritise the processing of claims and to assist with the additional work arising from increases in the Live Register. There are no plans to undertake any general recruitment of Clerical Officers at this point in time. Any issues in relation to delays with individual claimants are a matter for the Minister for Social Protection and his Department.