Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2014
20. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the reported budgetary savings made in her Department throughout her time as Minister that have had a real and adverse effect on the quality and efficiency of the service provided to citizens who access their services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47093/14]
View answerThe Department administers over 70 separate schemes and services and serves a wide and diverse group of customers including families, people in employment, unemployed people, people with disabilities, carers, and older people.
The overall aim of the Department is to provide people with the information, financial support and other services that they require in a timely and customer friendly way. The Department is committed to delivering a high quality customer service to all its customers. Each week the Department delivers social welfare payments to in excess of 1.5 million customers. In 2013, it answered 8.3 million telephone calls, processed 2.1 million applications and carried out 1.1 million control reviews.
The Department’s Customer Charter and Action Plan 2013 - 2015 sets out the level of service customers can expect when dealing with the Department and its commitment to provide a professional, efficient, courteous and timely service to all customers. The Customer Charter is prominently displayed in all public offices and is also available on the Department’s website at www.welfare.ie.
I wish to assure the Deputy that the Department is committed to ensuring that a customer service ethos is embedded in everything it does and is embraced by everyone in the organisation. Accordingly, since 2011, almost 3,000 staff throughout the Department have been supported with learning and development in the area of customer service, as part of a comprehensive suite of training.
In the event a customer is dissatisfied with the standard of service they receive, they should contact the staff member or section involved to have the matter resolved. If this does not resolve the issue to their satisfaction, they can make a formal complaint to the Quality Customer Service Team in person, by telephone, in writing or on line at www.welfare.ie . Their complaint will be dealt with promptly, fairly and impartially. Receipt of the complaint will be acknowledged, and it will be referred to a complaints officer for investigation. A response to the customer normally issues within 15 working days of the date of receipt of the complaint. If the complaint remains unresolved, the customer has the right of further appeal to the Office of the Ombudsman. The table below provides a summary of the formal complaints received for the past four years.
|
Year |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 (to date) |
|
No. of complaints recorded |
1,734 |
1,566 |
1,215 |
978 |
In recent years, the Department streamlined and enhanced its structures and processes when faced with increasing numbers of customers across the spectrum of its schemes and services during a period when the Government had committed to reduce public sector spending. This redesign included the roll out of a new integrated Intreo model of service delivery nationwide. To date, some 44 of the Departments social welfare local offices have been re-launched as Intreo centres, with work continuing the remaining 16 offices. The Intreo model provides for the seamless integration of services to jobseekers from the first day of their unemployment until their return to work. It involves the traditional claims process allied with the Department's activation supports and recourse to the Department's Community Welfare Service where required.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department is fully committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible and that backlogs of claims are kept to a minimum. Each scheme area is continuously monitored and reviewed to ensure customers are responded to as quickly as possible. Where difficulties arise, the Department moves to address these as speedily as possible, within the operating constraints in place. In this regard, the Department has had major success in clearing backlogs, notably in the disability and caring schemes. It must also be remembered that processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of illness-related schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested payments can also require more detailed investigation and interaction with the applicant, thereby lengthening the decision making process.
As part of the Department’s programme of service delivery modernisation, a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims, supported by modern technology, have been implemented in recent years. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised.
In addition, the staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources.
