Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 March 2014
514. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 401 of 25 February 2014, the number of home visits undertaken by community welfare officers each month since the restructuring of the community welfare service referred to in her response broken down by county. [13425/14]
View answerAs part of the Department’s overall process to provide a more streamlined and consistent service to the customer and to support the activation commitments under the Pathways to Work Programme and the development of Intreo services nationally, it has been necessary to review the administration of all its services across its remit including the community welfare service (CWS).
Overall, this is resulting in a rebalancing of resources across the Department’s range of activities including the relocation of some staff to main centres, primarily Intreo offices, which will provide a full range of services, including the CWS and these will, in general, be available in one location.
In general, this means that the frequency of available public clinics has increased. Improved phone services have been put in place, allowing in many cases, for customer queries to be processed without having to attend a clinic on a face to face basis. If a person is unable to travel to a clinic, for example due to illness, alternative arrangements are in place including arranging a visit to the client’s home if necessary.
The Department does not maintain records of the number of home visits undertaken by staff in the CWS. However, in response to the recent severe weather conditions, I can confirm that Department officials have made approximately 600 home visits countrywide to individuals worst affected by the severe weather who have required this level of support.
