Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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52. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a list of the incidences in the past two calendar years and to date in 2014 where a complaint was registered against an employee of her Department by a member of the public who was interacting with her Department over a social welfare payment; if she will categorise these incidences by type of complaint; by location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35042/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2013-2015 sets out the level of service customers can expect to receive. The Department monitors its performance through the use of its management information systems and through consultation with customers using a variety of methods including receiving feedback through the Comments and Complaints system.

If a customer is dissatisfied with the standard of service they receive, they can contact the staff member or section involved to have the matter dealt with. If this does not resolve the issue to their satisfaction, they can make a complaint to the Quality Customer Service Team by telephone, in writing or on line at . Their complaint will be dealt with promptly, fairly and impartially. Receipt of the complaint will be acknowledged, and it will be referred to a complaints officer for investigation. A response to the customer normally issues within 15 working days of the date of receipt of the complaint.

If the complaint remains unresolved, the customer has the right of further appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman.

There has been a yearly average of 1200 complaints received over the past two years. While it is not possible to provide the Deputy with details of complaints received against front line staff specifically, some 422 official complaints have been recorded against named officers of the Department as follows: