Vol. 490 No. 2
231 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, the Government has to transfer the community welfare officers currently operating under the health board to work under his Department. [9824/98]
Each health board is responsible for the administration of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, subject to my general direction and control. This function is carried out primarily by community welfare officers who also have other responsibilities within the health boards' community care programmes.
My priority at present is to improve the delivery of supplementary welfare allowances in consultation with the Health Boards under the current legislative and administrative arrangements. In that regard, my Department, working in co-operation with the health boards, has undertaken a major programme of computerisation in the eight health boards, under which SWA is being brought within the scope of the integrated short-term schemes computer system for short-term social welfare payments generally. Provision has also been made this year for appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office in the case of most SWA payment types and there is ongoing consultation and co-operation on a range of other administrative and policy issues.
There are no proposals at present to transfer the community welfare officers currently operating under the health boards to my Department.
