Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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25. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps being taken to process the applications for the exceptional needs payment and supplementary welfare allowance and clear the backlog. [6178/23]

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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40. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures being put in place to prevent delay in the processing of additional needs payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6129/23]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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42. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is concerned at the lack of access to community welfare officers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6086/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 40 and 42 together.

The Community Welfare Service (CWS) is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.

There are no backlogs and work on hand is within the schemes normal processing levels. Complete applications are finalised within 2 weeks and there is less than 2 weeks work on hands currently.

It is important to note that where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the same day. Community Welfare Officers are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response. Approximately 10% of CWS payments to customers across the country are made on this basis, which shows just how responsive the service is to an urgent customer need.

Where an application cannot be finalised promptly, the delay is normally due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support their application and the length of time that it takes for the information to be provided. This can result in longer processing times for these applications as greater flexibility is given to clients with extended time to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application is then processed quickly.

CWOs are physically on site daily in over 50 Intreo Centres across the country where they are available to be seen without an appointment, during business hours, Monday to Friday. In addition to meeting citizens in Intreo Centres, Branch Offices and DSP offices, CWOs can facilitate an appointment within a short time of a person requiring such a meeting, at a mutually agreed location, including at the person's home.

While local face-to-face engagement with clients continues to be a cornerstone of the community welfare service it is important to mention that a person does not need to meet with a CWO to make an application and any person who needs to access the service can call the National CWS freephone number at 0818 60 70 80, to make an appointment or to speak directly with a CWO. Staff working on the phoneline are currently dealing with over 5,000 callers each month and this service is proving very popular with customers in rural areas.

A person can apply for assistance under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme by completing a SWA1 form, which is widely available. It can be downloaded at www.gov.ie. It is available in all Intreo Centres and Branch Offices. It can be requested by emailing cwsforms@welfare.ieor by calling 0818 60 70 80. Customers can also request a SWA1 form by using the Request Application Form page available on www.gov.ie. A completed application form together with any supporting documentation can be returned directly to the Department where the claim will be processed quickly.

I have taken a number of steps to manage the increased level of Supplementary Welfare Allowance applications and improve service capacity, including:

- I secured agreement for some 74 additional staff to be assigned to the CWS. Recruitment has commenced for these additional staff. It is anticipated that the additional staff will be in place by the end of Q1.

- 30 Social Welfare Inspectors were temporarily reassigned to the Community Welfare Service to assist with claim processing.

- The introduction of a national CWS freephone line means that clients don't have to attend an office in person to make a claim or an enquiry.

- The rostering of staff ensures there is a full-time CWO presence in over 50 offices nationwide.

- The establishment of a back-office support team, to take-on the more routine administrative tasks associated with claim processing, frees up front-line CWOs to deal directly with client and their claims.

- The establishment of a national CWS Response Team, which is the primary resource in responding to pressure points and surges in demand for community welfare services.

- My Department is working on the provision of an online Additional Needs Payment application process via the MyWelfare system. The provision of the ANP online application will ensure that those who wish to access this scheme online including providing supporting documentation will be able to do so. It is expected this option will be available to clients by the end of Q1.

These changes mean that the CWS is in a stronger position than it would otherwise have been to respond to service demands.

I trust this clarifies the matter.