Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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87. To ask the Minister for Social Protection in view of the proposed centralisation of community welfare officer public clinics to Intreo offices in Achill, Ballina, Belmullet, Castlebar and Westport, the consideration given to persons needing community welfare services in rural areas in County Mayo who will have difficulty accessing public transport to travel to Intreo offices under these new arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12263/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The introduction of Intreo nationally is not intended to dispense with the Community Welfare Service (CWS) but will provide a full range of services, including the CWS, in one location.

The CWS play a vital part within the overall social welfare system in providing a responsive and flexible approach to meeting the needs of the disadvantaged. The role of the CWS and the objectives of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which they administer are compatible with the goals and objectives of this Department having regard to income support, social inclusion and integration of services. The need for a flexible and responsive approach to meet the needs of members of the public experiencing disadvantage continues to remain central to the CWS.

When a clinic is closed, an increased level of service is made available to the customers at alternative locations in the general vicinity. The change is a move away from the traditional model of one officer serving an individual location and delivering the full range of community welfare services, towards a sustainable team-based approach which is more efficient, effective and economical. The new arrangements have enhanced service provision, lead to greater value for money in terms of savings in respect of costs such as rent and have facilitated an improved utilisation of staff resources.

Where the CWS has been re-structured, alternative arrangements have been put in place to ensure that customers are provided with on-going access to the supports provided by the service. In general, this means that the frequency of available public clinics has increased, an improved and enhanced phone service and dedicated email addresses are available and alternative arrangements are in place for those who cannot travel to the clinic. Customers in affected areas are encouraged to contact the service by phone, email or post in the first instance and in most cases their queries can be answered without them having to attend a public clinic. If a face to face meeting is still necessary, but the customer is unable to travel to the public clinic an officer will arrange a visit to the customer’s home.

The Department’s services are continually monitored and kept under review by management taking account of the views of staff, public representatives and users of the service to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service. I am very conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer facing services at a local level for clients of the Department. It is therefore essential that the services provided are reconstituted to meet the changing needs of Irish society.