Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 24 May 2001

Vol. 537 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Services.

Monica Barnes

Question:

28 Mrs. Barnes asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the action his Department has taken to improve customer service satisfaction within all local social welfare offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15151/01]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

It is my objective as Minister to ensure that my Department provides an excellent service to customers and implements the principles of quality customer service which have been endorsed by Government. My Department has taken a range of measures in recent years to improve the service it provides and I am determined that we will continue to make further progress in this area.

Three years ago I published a customer action plan to outline what we would do to deliver a quality service. Earlier this year we commissioned an independent national survey to assess whether we were delivering on those commitments and to identify areas where improvement is needed.

The findings of the independent survey, which I launched earlier this week, are in the main very positive and show that overall satisfaction levels with the service remains high. They show that the Department has a strong focus on providing excellent customer service and that customers on the whole acknowledge that. In particular the survey shows that there is recognition of improvements in public office accommodation, our information service and in communication with our customers.

There are some areas where improvements are needed and we will use the survey findings to help us develop our programmes in these areas. The Customer Action Plan 2001-2004, which I also launched this week, outlines the specific steps we intend to take in this regard over the next three years.

The Department is committed to providing the highest standard of public office accommodation and through our building programme a good number of new offices have been provided and others have been refurbished. This programme will continue with particular emphasis being placed on privacy and access for people with disabilities.

The provision of timely, accurate and comprehensive information is a primary service for my Department. Information is disseminated through a variety of means including leaflets, newsletters, our website, Aertel and freephones at budget time. In each of the Department's public offices there are designated information officers. Staff in the Department's branch offices are also being trained in the provision of information. My Department will continue to support Comhairle, which is funded by the Department, in the provision of advice and information to citizens on the range of social services. Performance standards in the areas of claim processing, telephone response times and correspondence have been developed. The performance standards are monitored on a monthly basis and updated annually. The standards and performance levels achieved are published in the Department's annual reports.

Staff training is also an area that has received attention and approximately 1,200 front line staff have recently participated in a comprehensive customer service training programme. Staff in other Department offices are now undergoing this training to co-ordinate the delivery of services by different Departments and agencies.

My Department has been involved in a number of major initiatives at central and local level. The setting up of the REACH agency which is developing the framework for the integration of public services using modern technologies, and the joint project involving my Department and the Department of Health and Children to implement a modern Civil Registration Service are key building blocks underpinning the integration of public service delivery and providing more convenient access to information and services for citizens.