Vol. 413 No. 3
18 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the fact that applicants for social welfare entitlements are not allowed by local social welfare officers to ask public representatives for assistance in claiming for entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Persons needing assistance in making a claim for a social welfare payment can contact any local social welfare office or official of my Department, who will be pleased to help them. The establishment of eight regional centres recently announced and the conversion of my Department's employment exchanges into one stop shops for all social welfare services in their areas will enable people to more readily receive advice and information on all social welfare matters.
There is no restriction on a claimant seeking the assistance of a public representative in making a social welfare claim if that suits the person involved. I would remind the Deputy that there is extensive contact between my Department and public representatives in individual cases — for example, written representations and oral inquiries. Special telephone lines have been in existence in my Department for some years which are reserved exclusively for the use of Members of the Oireachtas and other public representatives who wish to make immediate contact about specific cases, and there is no question——
I have just a brief supplementary question, a Cheann Comhairle. It is important to have that comment on the record also. However, does the Minister know that applicants are discouraged from going to their public representatives, that in fact they are told that it is pointless and that they should not go to public representatives? I know of the facilities provided by the Minister and his predecessor and that is why I am concerned. The difficulties caused by local social welfare officers created many problems in social welfare.
I am surprised to hear that people are being discouraged from meeting their public representatives——
Yes.
——to discuss matters of this nature because it is the Members of the Oireachtas who put through the legislation here.
I know.
They are the best qualified of anyone to give advice on how to deal with the issues. If there are any people in the Department who feel that people should not be receiving advice from public representatives in relation to particular cases then I strongly advise those people that that is unadvisable and that public representatives are quite capable of giving very sound advice. That is my experience.
Send them to a public consultant.
That is the second piece of good advice that the Minister has given today to some of his officers on the ground and I welcome it.
