asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to streamline the services and agencies available to persons who are dependent on social welfare or health board allowances.
33.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Services.
16.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to eliminate delays in the making of social welfare payments, with a view to eliminating severe hardship on families and averting costly and unnecessary transactions in the area of supplementary welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 16 and 33 together.
There has been a steady improvement in the level of service from my Department despite the enormous increase in workload in recent years. The average time taken to process practically all types of claims has fallen as indeed has the time taken to reply to representations from public representatives. This progress can be attributed to a number of important steps which have been taken to provide a more efficient and co-ordinated service to people who are dependent on social welfare or health board payments.
The Department have been reorganised and the Social Welfare Services Office, which is an executive office, is now in a position to concentrate on the efficiency of the delivery of services. The administrative procedures are kept under continual review and I am glad to say that the management and staff in the Department are totally committed to providing the best possible level of service to the public. There is an ongoing programme of computerisation and there are plans to complete the computerisation of the unemployment payments schemes over the next few years as resources permit.
A computerised inquiry service has been provided in a number of local offices throughout the country and this is being extended. Computer links are being used to provide closer working arrangements with community welfare officers of the health boards who are often the first point of contact with claimants. This means that payments are being made more quickly.
My Department are making good progress towards providing a more co-ordinated and integrated local service on the lines recommended by the Commission on Social Welfare. In a number of centres the local employment exchange manager, the social welfare inspector and the health board official now work closely together and they have reduced the time taken to process unemployment assistance claims from several weeks to a few days. This has dramatically reduced the "interim payment" role of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme operated by the health boards in these areas. I propose to extend this arrangement to other offices around the country as soon as the necessary accommodation and computer facilities become available.
I am very anxious to further develop the integrated approach to the delivery of social welfare services generally through the introduction of "one-stop-shops". What I have in mind is that, in addition to the normal employment exchange services, clients would have access to current information on social welfare claims, general information on the full range of schemes and services provided by my Department, on-the-spot means assessments for unemployment assistance together with current information on job opportunities, placements and on the courses which are available through the National Manpower Service. The objective is that, operating as a co-ordinated team, the various personnel involved would meet the needs of the client quickly and in a more co-ordinated manner at the one location.