Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 24: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if and when she expects to be in a position to avail of the extra necessary staff, perhaps from other Departments, to assist with the work of eliminating ongoing backlogs and delays associated with the processing of claims for all levels of social welfare payments; the extent to which this issue is likely to be addressed in the short to medium term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20638/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The staffing needs of my Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. The Department will continue to source available staff to fill critical vacancies by way of redeployment, or transfer from within the Department and other Government Departments, taking account of the employment control framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Since May 2008, some 990 staff have been assigned across the Department to fill critical vacancies and additional posts allocated to deal with the increased volume of claims. Taking into account the numbers of staff who have left the Department and the vacancies that exist currently, a net total of 226 additional staff have been assigned to the Department.

Question No. 25 answered with Question No. 17.

Question No. 26 answered with Question No. 14.