Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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449. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the centralisation of social welfare offices to support teams in Tuam is leading to delays (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11510/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Local face-to-face engagement with customers by Community Welfare Officers (CWO’s) continues to be a cornerstone of the CWS. Additional clerical support has been put in place in a number of Administrative Support Hubs, one of which is located in Tuam in County Galway, so as to release Community Welfare Officers from administration work and to ensure that their focus is on meeting customers and making decisions on claims.

SWA claims received continue to be assigned to a locally based CWO for decision within the shortest time possible.

Work on hands in the CWS Admin Support Hub in Tuam is up to date and there is less than 2 weeks work in process currently, which is within the scheme's normal processing levels.

It is important to note that where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, this is dealt with at a local level and 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.

I would appreciate if the Deputy would let me know of any persons who are having difficulty in accessing support.

I trust this clarifies the matter.