Vol. 568 No. 6
323 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the staff in the Social and Family Affairs office outlined in correspondence (details supplied) will treat men and women equally; if other staff in her Department who deal regularly with the public are appraised of the need for gender proofing and their legal obligations under the equality legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17149/03]
My Department is committed to serving all of its customers in a non-discriminatory manner. The Department's commitment is clearly articulated in, for example, the new strategy statement for 2003-05, "Promoting a Caring Society", and the customer action plan for 2001-04. In this regard, our policy is to communicate the importance of equality in customer service via training and awareness-raising courses for staff.
The Deputy will appreciate the importance of ensuring that the correct payment is made to the correct person. As part of this process, customers must provide proof of identity and proof of address. Internal guidelines are issued to staff detailing the range of documents that may be accepted for these two requirements. Directories are also provided to staff which may be consulted in order to verify the address of the applicant.
The person concerned applied to sign for credits. In the context of verifying her address, she was dealt with in a way that was not appropriate in the circumstances. This is regretted and my Department will review the existing guidelines in this area to avoid any recurrence of a similar kind in the future.
