Dick Spring
Question:5 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to abolish the requirement for signing-on on a weekly basis by unemployed persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Payment Arrangements.
The current signing arrangements for unemployed people are governed by statutory regulations which require claimants for unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance to sign the unemployed register to prove that they are available for, and genuinely seeking, work.
In the majority of cases, claimants who live within six miles of a local office are only required to attend there once weekly when they make a declaration of their unemployment and collect their payment in cash. Claimants who reside over six miles from the local office are required to attend at their local Garda station or approved signing centre each week to have their unemployment declarations certified by a member of the Garda Síochána. These claimants are paid at their local Post Office. The signing arrangements, therefore, are specifically designated to indicate the days on which the claimants were unemployed each week so that their payments can be computed correctly.
The Department have a responsibility to ensure that claimants are genuinely unemployed and seeking work. I have been examining ways to modify the signing arrangements for suitable categories of claimants. In considering what changes can be made, I have to take account of the fact that payment to people who attend at the local office is made there and then in cash. The current signing arrangements are geared to meet this system and can only be changed as and when alternative methods of payment are introduced.
In March 1990 I introduced a pre-retirement allowance scheme for those over 60 years of age on long term unemployment assistance. Under this scheme claimants are paid by pension orders which they cash at their local Post Office and make a declaration on unemployment once a year. These claimants no longer have to sign on on a weekly basis. Accordingly, I am very glad to be able to announce this year that the minimum age for this pre-retirement allowance is being reduced to 58 years.
I am now examining the possibility of other categories of long term claimants being paid by order book which would also enable less frequent signing arrangements to be introduced for them. These and other alternative payment methods are currently in the course of development. When introduced they will create the possibility of greater flexibility in the arrangements for signing-on.
Would the Minister agree that the statutory regulations to which he refers can be changed by the Minister and by this House at any time and that the system he has described to the House is degrading and demeaning for the people concerned and unnecessary from the point of view of demonstrating that they are unemployed, available and seeking work, because it does not do any of these things? Would the Minister not agree that payment methods using modern technology, given that there are computers in every shop in the country operating the Lotto, is no longer a problem? Payment can be made by giro, by cheque and by post without the necessity to queue, often in very bad conditions and sometimes out under the elements, to obtain these payments?
There are a number of things in relation to that issue. In the way we are developing our social welfare services I would hope that information would be available at our local offices for unemployed people about opportunites of various kinds and options which would be available. It is important that that approach be taken and that people come, as far as possible, to get something or to get information.
The Deputy will be interested to know that under an agreement made with An Post a system is being developed whereby the Department of Social Welfare will supply An Post with information on the UA and UB payments each week. From this An Post would produce a postal warrant to be called a pay draft which they will send to local post offices for collection and encashment there by unemployment assistance and unemployment benefit claimants. A pilot scheme embracing 1,000 claimants at two employment exchanges is to be launched later in the year. If this is successful it can be extended. We are doing a number of things to try to improve that situation. The other is that the alternative payment methods will require computerisation of the local office procedures. We hope to have all our local offices computerised by the end of this year. We are beginning to concentrate on the branch exchange offices now. That would make many of these other methods of payment possible. We will keep the Deputy's views in mind.
Would the Minister agree that a number of man hours are lost in every week, in every month, in every year in Garda stations throughout the country where gardaí are sitting waiting for people to sign on and that this is a very bad use of resources from the Government's point of view? Other methods need to be developed rather than having gardaí waiting there, simply looking at people who come in to sign on.
We have reduced the numbers considerably and we will continue, as we develop our systems, to keep these points in mind.
Let us come to deal with Question No. 6.
May I ask the Minister a question?
The Deputy will have to be very brief. We are making very little progress on Questions today and the Chair is concerned about that matter.
I appreciate that.
All the questions on the Order Paper are of equal importance to the Chair. It will have to be a very brief question, Deputy Byrne.
Now that the Minister has agreed that those on assistance who are eligible would be paid a minimum of £5 would he not agree that an immediate start could be made rather than having to sign on each week and that those who are in receipt of a benefit of £5 should receive it automatically by postal delivery?
I would be interested in developing new approaches in that whole area and we will have an opportunity when debating the Social Welfare Bill to come back to this whole question. It would be preferable that people who are younger would be going to seek job opportunities or to call on FÁS or to use the time for that purpose. These are issues which we will be looking at as we develop the system.