Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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219. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number and location of welfare clinics that have been closed and moved to other locations in the past two years, such as the proposed closure of welfare services in Duleek and Laytown, County Meath; the cost of the provision for each such service; the reason for closure; if he will reconsider the closure of Duleek and Laytown services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14811/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Following the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive (HSE) to the Department in 2011, the Department has re-engineered its business model 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. The following table provides a breakdown of the 42 CWS clinics closed since 2015 on a county basis. Information regarding the cost of the provision of clinics is not available.

Where the service 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. This means that the frequency of available public clinics has increased, an improved phone and appointments service is generally available and alternative arrangements are in place for those who cannot travel, for example due to illness, including arranging a visit to the client’s home as necessary.

CWS clinics in Laytown and Duleek will move to the main Intreo Centre in Drogheda with effect from 3rd April 2017. A large proportion of customers accessing the CWS in both Duleek and Laytown are already dealing with the Intreo Centre in Drogheda. This move will enable customers to access all services in the one location eliminating the need for them to visit a second office to make a claim for supplementary welfare allowance. The service availability will increase from one to three mornings per week which will provide a greater level of flexibility to clients accessing the service. The Intreo Centre provides a comprehensive information service on the full range of supports provided by the Department and this will enable customers to clarify all their queries in relation to employment and income support services in one location.

The Department has written to all customers affected by this move and the feedback to date has been positive with the expanded opening hours being seen as a very positive development. For some customers travelling to the Intreo office in Drogheda is much more convenient especially for customers in areas such as Highlands, Grangerath, Backbush Avenue, Ard Ri and Deepford. All customers have been informed that a CWS officer will be available to carry out a home visit where a customer cannot access the clinic due to incapacity or for any other legitimate reason.

I am very conscious of the need to provide efficient and effective customer-facing services at a local level for all customers of the Department and would like to reassure the Deputy that the changes to the services are intended to enhance the integration of all of the Department’s localised services.

CWS Clinic Closures by County and Year of Closure