Vol. 417 No. 3
27 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider introducing a code of practice to govern interviews of unemployed people by his Department's External Control Unit, in view of the belief of some members of the public that present procedures can be humiliating; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The officers of the External Control Unit of my Department already operate under strict guidelines which include a code of conduct for dealing with members of the public. The guidelines and training of officers are designed to ensure that interviews are conducted in a dignified and orderly manner with as little inconvenience as possible to individuals or other members of the public.
Officers have been instructed to ensure that all clients are treated with tact and courtesy and all questions must be relevant to determining if the conditions for receipt of unemployment payments are understood and met; no undue delays or inconvenience are to result from their operations. When operating on wet days their activities should not result in clients queuing in the rain; clients are advised of the purpose of the interview, and are told about any reports alleging abuse by them of the social welfare system where this might occasionally arise; suitable accommodation is used to ensure client privacy, when in-depth interviewing takes place; and when attending at Garda stations and signing centres, they prominently display signs identifying the unit so that the clients know to whom they are speaking.
The work of the Internal Control Unit of my Department is one measure to help ensure that abuse of the system is eliminated. The unit exists to stamp out abuse and people genuinely unemployed have no need for concern.
