Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Questions (56, 57, 58, 59, 60)

Bernard Allen

Question:

138 Deputy Bernard Allen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of unauthorised payments made in respect of jobseeker’s allowance and jobseeker’s benefit in each local area social welfare office; the average length of processing time of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34493/08]

Brian O'Shea

Question:

151 Deputy Brian O’Shea asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she has taken to reduce the waiting times for jobseeker payments at local social welfare offices; the targets that are in place for processing times and the extent to which these are currently being met. [34881/08]

Willie Penrose

Question:

177 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she is taking to augment staffing levels in her Department to deal with the increased demand from the growing number of new entrants onto the live register. [34872/08]

Lucinda Creighton

Question:

441 Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of claims in respect of jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit being processed; the way that this compares to the number of applicants processed during the same week in 2006 and 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34852/08]

Lucinda Creighton

Question:

442 Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the average waiting time of applicants for jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit to be processed; the way this compares to the average waiting time in the same week in 2006 and in 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34853/08]

Written answers

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 151, 177, 441 and 442 together.

The Department is committed to providing a high quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary between the two jobseeker schemes and involve, among other things, the need to establish the person's social insurance record, establish the person's identity or their place of habitual residence and to assess means where appropriate. In some cases delays arise where the person fails to supply all pertinent information in support of their application.

The standard for claim processing is 70% of jobseekers allowance claims and 85% of jobseekers benefit claims to be processed in 2 weeks. Due to the sharp rise in the numbers claiming a jobseeker's payment, this standard is not being met. The average time for applications processed in September was 3 weeks for jobseekers benefit claims and 6 weeks for jobseekers allowance claims. This compares to 2 weeks for jobseekers benefit and 3 weeks for jobseekers allowance claims in September 2006 and September 2007.

Deputies will be aware that anyone who is under financial pressure while awaiting a decision on their claim for a jobseekers payment can apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is subject to a means test and other qualifying conditions.

The Department delivers a frontline service through a network of 61 Local Offices and 64 Branch Offices countrywide. Local Offices are staffed by civil servants whereas the Branch Offices operate under a contract for service. All decisions on claims are made in the Local Office.

The overall performance in any individual office in processing claims can be adversely affected by a wide variety of factors; including increased inflow of claims, staff vacancies and the duration of such vacancies and the turnover of staff in the office.

The Department has put a range of measures in place to deal with the extra workload arising from the increase in the Live Register. These include:

additional posts assigned from other parts of the Dept; — use of temporary staff to fill vacancies;

extension of temporary staff contracts in certain offices;

increased overtime; and

prioritisation of work.

These measures are being reviewed on a continuous basis.

A total of 21,437 jobseekers benefit claims and 10,224 jobseekers allowance claims were processed in September 2008. The corresponding figures for 2006 and 2007 are as follows:

	Jobseekers Allowance	Jobseekers Benefit
September 2006	10,051	6,707
September 2007	11,287	6,390

At the end of September 2007 the Live Register stood at 160,451 and at the end of September 2008 it was 240,217. The number of claims awaiting decision at 3 October 2008 and in the corresponding period in 2006 and 2007 is as follows:

	Jobseekers Allowance	Jobseekers Benefit
September 2006	8,919	6,498
September 2007	10,457	7,579
September 2008	22,276	16,857

The number of claims awaiting decision in each office is set out in the following tabular statement.

Jobseekers Claims awaiting decision 3 October 2008

Local Office	Parent Office	Jobseekers Allowance	Jobseekers Benefit	Total
Achill	Achill	7	—	7
Apollo House	Apollo House	219	224	443
Ardee	Drogheda	136	99	235
Arklow	Arklow	182	152	334
Athlone	Athlone	175	195	370
Athy	Newbridge	139	295	434
Balbriggan	Coolock	209	123	332
Ballina	Ballina	204	133	337
Ballinasloe	Athlone	85	45	130
Ballinrobe	Galway	61	42	103
Ballybofey	Donegal Control Office	85	34	119
Ballyconnell	Cavan	114	67	181
Ballyfermot	Ballyfermot	174	85	259
Ballymun	Ballymun	76	34	110
Ballyshannon	Donegal Control Office	50	19	69
Baltinglass	Newbridge	71	71	142
Bandon	Carraigaline	142	66	208
Bantry	Bantry Control Office	70	57	127
Belmullet	Belmullet	27	18	45
Birr	Athlone	97	43	140
Bishop Square	Bishop Square	469	603	1,072
Blanchardstown	Blanchardstown	531	314	845
Boyle	Longford	62	53	115
Bray	Bray	245	372	617
Buncrana	Buncrana	258	131	389
Cahir	Clonmel	17	29	46
Cahirciveen	Cahirciveen	34	49	83
Carlow	Carlow	198	123	321
Carraigaline	Carraigaline	119	58	177
Carrickmacross	Dundalk	98	52	150
Carrick-on-Shannon	Carrick-on-Shannon	98	55	153
Carrick-on-Suir	Waterford	100	65	165
Cashel	Clonmel	25	27	52
Castlebar	Castlebar	91	51	142
Castleblaney	Dundalk	88	27	115
Castlepollard	Mullingar	78	71	149
Castlerea	Ballina	133	121	254
Cavan	Cavan	437	273	710
Claremorris	Ballina	134	107	241
Clifden	Clifden	24	2	26
Clonakilty	Carraigaline	91	36	127
Clondalkin	Clondalkin	465	427	892
Clones	Dundalk	27	18	45
Clonmel	Clonmel	63	70	133
Cobh	Cobh	21	20	41
Coolock	Coolock	203	107	310
Cork	Cork	1,681	1,014	2,695
Dingle	Tralee	10	17	27
Donegal	Donegal Control Office	24	23	47
Drogheda	Drogheda	676	279	955
Dun Laoghaire	Dun Laoghaire	441	346	787
Dundalk	Dundalk	300	190	490
Dunfanaghy	Dunfanaghy	22	31	53
Dungarvan	Waterford	84	86	170
Dungloe	Dungloe	65	55	120
Edenderry	Mullingar	161	95	256
Ennis	Ennis	171	149	320
Enniscorthy	Wexford	157	111	268
Ennistymon	Ennis	70	67	137
Fermoy	Mallow	91	153	244
Finglas	Finglas	231	257	488
Galway	Galway	1,491	836	2,327
Gorey	Wexford	168	138	306
Gort	Ennis	64	76	140
Kells	Navan	209	94	303
Kenmare	Kenmare	16	28	44
Kilbarrack	Kilbarrack	162	217	379
Kilkenny	Kilkenny	243	85	328
Killarney	Tralee	83	118	201
Killorglin	Tralee	47	33	80
Killybegs	Donegal Control Office	17	13	30
Kilmallock	Newcastlewest	87	96	183
Kilrush	Ennis	33	11	44
Kinsale	Carraigaline	75	20	95
Letterkenny	Letterkenny	312	183	495
Limerick	Limerick	914	575	1,489
Listowel	Listowel	136	129	265
Longford	Longford	306	278	584
Loughrea	Galway	130	99	229
Macroom	Mallow Control Office	61	91	152
Mallow	Mallow Control Office	113	151	264
Manorhamilton	Manorhamilton	21	16	37
Maynooth	Ballyfermot	490	245	735
Midleton	Carraigaline	201	190	391
Monaghan	Dundalk	105	77	182
Muine Bheag	Carlow	108	120	228
Mullingar	Mullingar	211	199	410
Navan	Navan	483	346	829
Navan Road	Navan Road	375	193	568
Nenagh	Thurles	54	52	106
New Ross	Wexford	107	99	206
Newbridge	Newbridge	445	681	1,126
Newcastlewest	Newcastle West	93	112	205
Newmarket	Listowel	82	128	210
Nth Cumberland St.	Nth Cumberland St	275	276	551
Nutgrove	Nutgrove	117	132	249
Portarlington	Tullamore CO	181	60	241
Portlaoise	Kilkenny	274	209	483
Rathdowney	Kilkenny	85	56	141
Roscommon	Longford	65	98	163
Roscrea	Thurles	37	19	56
Skibbereen	Bantry CO	69	44	113
Sligo	Sligo	170	69	239
Swinford	Ballina	125	72	197
Swords	Nth Cumberland St.	119	138	257
Tallaght	Tallaght	346	338	684
Thomas Street	Thomas Street	247	127	374
Thomastown	Waterford	79	47	126
Thurles	Thurles	39	36	75
Tipperary	Clonmel	45	44	89
Tralee	Tralee	149	129	278
Trim	Navan	255	176	431
Tuam	Galway	185	93	278
Tubbercurry	Carrick-on-Shannon	38	16	54
Tulla	Ennis	38	28	66
Tullamore	Tullamore	314	109	423
Tullow	Carlow	130	116	246
Waterford	Waterford	433	500	933
Westport	Westport	36	35	71
Wexford	Wexford	194	99	293
Wicklow	Arklow	93	69	162
Youghal	Carrigaline	80	57	137
Totals		22,276	16,857	39,133