Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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55. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the areas where there are plans to amalgamate the activities of the community welfare officers; the areas where services have been withdrawn; his plans regarding the community welfare officer function; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11767/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Following the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department in 2011, the Department has re-engineered its business model and staffing resources to support the provision of integrated services across all business streams involved in the delivery of localised services. As part of this strategy, the Department is engaged in the delivery of integrated Intreo centres, which provide a full range of services, including the CWS, generally available in one location. Where the CWS has been restructured, alternative arrangements have been put in place to ensure that customers are provided with on-going access to the supports provided by the service. For example, where a customer is unable to travel to an Intreo Centre or to a CWS clinic, alternative arrangements are available including improved telephone services and, if necessary, arranging a visit to the client’s home. Significant improvements in claim processing, through the development of an integrated decisions model has considerably reduced dependence on supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) by people awaiting decisions on their primary social welfare claims. Many people claiming supports under the SWA scheme generally only interact with the Department on an occasional basis, for example, when seeking an exceptional needs payment. The following table shows the number of CWS clinics that were closed from October 2011 to date on a county basis. The function of the CWS staff in administering the SWA schemes will continue to provide important supports to persons experiencing challenging and financially difficult times. The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.

Tabular Statement - CWS clinics closed from October 2011 to April 2016