Written answers
Wednesday, 31 March 2021
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Departmental Staff
Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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658. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of staff by grade engaged in processing applications for both the State pension (contributory) and State pension (non-contributory). [16518/21]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The State pension (contributory) and State pension (non–contributory) schemes are centrally administered from my Department’s offices located at College Road, Sligo.
Details of the number of staff engaged in processing applications for contributory (SPC) and non-contributory (SPNC) pensions are shown below.
Scheme | No. of staff (whole time equivalents) | Staff by grade |
|---|---|---|
| SPC claims from applicantsresiding within the State | 36.33 | 4.95 Executive Officers31.38 Clerical Officers |
| SPC claims from applicants residing outside the State | 10.65 | 1 Executive Officer9.65 Clerical Officers |
| SPNC | 25.4 | 7 Executive Officers18.4 Clerical Officers |
The staffing needs for all areas within my Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new increasing and urgent demands in delivering a wide range of services. This is 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.
My Department is committed to ensuring that state pension claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. Processing of pension claims depends on the individual nature of applicants’ circumstances. It is also dependent on the completeness of applications received and the availability of the required information.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
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