asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of money, if any, that was paid to social welfare officers or is proposed to be paid for investigating new applications for fuel for 1988-1989.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Officers Remuneration.
108.
No special payment is being made to social welfare officers to deal with new applications for free fuel allowances. However, the work of the social welfare officer grade is measured on a time unit basis and the time units for the social assistance schemes with the exception of unemployment assistance have been adjusted to take account of the free fuel element of the work. Each social welfare officer station is based on a yearly quota of time units which is set and agreed with the staff side at conciliation council. Social welfare officers who exceed the work quota in a quarter may be entitled to extra remuneration providing the overtime working has been approved in advance. The effect of the adjustment in the social assistance time units is that the extra remuneration position of some social welfare officers may be affected. It is not possible at this stage to say what amount of extra remuneration expenditure will be attributable to the free fuel element of the work of social welfare officers but it will be marginal and will be met from within the existing allocation for overtime payments.