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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Nov 1986

Vol. 369 No. 10

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Benefit.

4.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will give details on the length of time it takes to consider an application for unemployment assistance in County Galway; if she is satisfied with the length of time involved; and the proposals she has to expedite the consideration of unemployment assistance applications and appeals.

Entitlement to unemployment assistance depends on the means of the claimant and individual investigation of means must be made in each case. The time taken to carry out a means investigation and reach a decision in any particular case depends to a large extent on the individual circumstances of the case. While most new unemployment assistance claims in County Galway are normally dealt with within six to eight weeks it is accepted that in some cases longer delays can occur.

The longer delays are as a result of the increasing numbers claiming unemployment assistance together with the need for individual investigation of means. Furthermore many of the claims received in County Galway are from small farmers and generally such cases are more difficult to investigate and take more time to process than the normal run of unemployment assistance claims because of the need to obtain detailed information when determing the income and expenditure of the claimant's holdings.

In this connection I should also mention that there is an arrangement whereby persons who are in receipt of unemployment benefit are advised as a matter of course, at least three months before they have drawn their maximum entitlement to benefit, to apply for a qualification certificate in order to avoid any delay when they subsequently transfer to unemployment assistance. Two additional social welfare officers were assigned to the area last March and this has contributed to a considerable reduction of the arrears of cases on hand awaiting investigation of means.

A number of other measures have also been introduced to speed up the processing of claims generally. A policy has been adopted to devolve the decision of awarding qualification certificates from the Department's headquarters to employment exchanges to the greatest extent possible. The Galway city employment exchanges are now making most decisions in relation to the award of qualification certificates and plans are in progress to extend the process to Clifden exchange in the near future.

A further step that has been taken recently is the payment of unemployment assistance on a provisional basis to certain claimants pending an investigation of their means by a social welfare officer. In accordance with this arrangement a claimant is interviewed at the local office when making the claim and if it appears that he has no means, payment is authorised at the appropriate maximum rate. This arrangement applies only at the larger offices at present and it was introduced at Galway city employment exchanges last month.

As regards delays in processing appeals, the position is that delays can occur when an oral hearing is necessary and particularly where further investigation of means by the social welfare officer is looked for before a decision is made. However, there has been a significant reduction in the past year in the time taken to deal with all appeals under the unemployment assistance scheme, including appeals which are the subject of an oral hearing.

In conclusion I should like to emphasise that every effort is being made, within the available resources, to ensure that claims are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible. I should also mention that during the period that an unemployment assistance claim is being processed it is open to a person to apply for supplementary welfare allowance at the local health centre if he is in need of immediate financial help.

The theory as the Minister outlined, a delay of six to eight weeks, does not convey the true position because in practice people have to wait between three and five months to have their applications or appeals dealt with. I suggest to the Minister that the action she has outlined is not sufficient to deal with claims and appeals throughout the country and especially in Galway. In the course of replies to questions tabled by me last week the Minister said that the normal period of delay was three to five months and I should like to know how she can expect people to exist without any income for such a long time.

In the course of my reply I said that most new unemployment assistance claims in County Galway are dealt with within six to eight weeks and that contradicts what the Deputy has said. I explained, at considerable length in response to this broad question the reasons delays occurred in some areas. I told the Deputy that where the Department discovered delays they took steps to deal with them. I should like to assure the Deputy that the Department want to cut down on the length of time people must wait for a decision. I am sure the Deputy does not wish me to read my reply again because I would be wasting more time.

The measures outlined by the Minister are not good enough. There must be a significant increase in the number of social welfare officers in County Galway to deal with the long delays. The bureaucracy that operates must be eliminated. There is no need to send files from Galway to Dublin and here, there and everywhere. Cases should be dealt with speedily and people should not be forced to beg in order to survive while awaiting a decision by the Department.

I cannot understand how the Deputy can make such statements in the light of what I have said. I have referred to the proposal to localise decision-making and the Deputy should not contend that the Department are not concerned about the matter.

How many extra officials are involved?

The Department are taking all steps possible to improve the position. We are all concerned about people who are delayed for a long time.

In the course of her reply the Minister alluded to the assessment of small farmers for unemployment assistance and I should like to know if she is aware of the serious dissatisfaction in western counties about that assessment. Is the Minister aware that small farmers when assessed for unemployment assistance should have their incomes assessed on a factual basis less the amount of their inputs and interest? Is the Minister aware that that is not being applied and that as a result small farmers who have suffered a lot in recent years are being discriminated against?

It is obvious that that is a separate question.

The Minister referred to them in the course of her reply and I asked her if she was aware of the position in the west of Ireland.

It is a separate matter and if the Deputy tables a question I will be happy to answer it.

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