Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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16. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans for re-opening the nine community welfare clinics, including those closed in Clogheen, Ardfinnan, Newcastle and New Inn, County Tipperary in September 2013; if she will maintain that the current level of services provided since the closures are sufficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46998/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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A key objective of the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department on 1 October 2011 was to provide a streamlined and consistent service to the customer.

The Department has since re-engineered its business model to support the provision of integrated services across all business streams involved in the delivery of localised services and has examined the operation of all its services in the context of the Pathways to Work commitments and the development of Intreo services nationally. This resulted in a rebalancing of resources across the Department’s range of activities including the relocation of some staff to main centres, primarily Intreo offices.

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. If a person is unable to travel to a new clinic, for example due to illness, alternative arrangements are in place including arranging a visit to the client’s home if necessary.

The Department’s services are continually monitored and kept under review by management 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.

There are no plans to re-open the CWS clinics referred to and the level of service at the alternative clinics has not changed since September 2013. Customer feedback has indicated that the level of service provided is sufficient with waiting times being reduced due to the introduction of an appointment system.