Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the degree to which the reduction in the live register can contribute to expediting the process for various social protection payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23069/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible and that backlogs in claims are kept to a minimum. Each scheme area continuously monitors and reviews claim processing operations to ensure that customers are responded to as quickly as possible.

Processing times vary by scheme but this principally reflects the fact that the eligibility criteria such as means tests, family circumstances and medical status are more complex for some schemes than for others.

Claims processing in Intreo Centres also involves the scheduling of appointments for new jobseekers and customers are informed of the documentation required in advance of his/her appointment. This ensures that the claim itself can normally be processed without delay.

The overall reduction in the Live Register has enhanced the Department’s capacity to process claims in that overall numbers claiming jobseekers payments is reducing year-on-year. However, it should be noted that the number of people coming on - and off - the register is substantial and this movement of customers continues to require repeated administrative intervention at each entry point.

For example, the increase of 8,824 people on the unadjusted Live Register in June 2016 was made up of 34,886 people who came onto the register and 26,062 who left. Detailed analysis of the Live Register is available on the Central Statistics Office website www.cso.ie.

The staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising. This is to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources.