Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
790. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will re-examine a decision made by his Department not to open and establish a social protection office in Lucan, County Dublin (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25952/16]
View answerAs part of the plan for the roll-out of Intreo Centres, the Lucan/Adamstown and Clondalkin areas were originally designated by the Department for the provision of Intreo services in Dublin Mid-West.
The Office of Public Works explored options in both Lucan and Adamstown for an Intreo Centre for a period of time, but given the limited choice of suitably sized and located offices, this process failed to identify any suitable sites or buildings for the provision of an Intreo service.
Clients from Adamstown/Lucan currently sign in the Clondalkin Intreo Centre. Customers also travel to Clondalkin for community welfare services; however, the introduction of an email/postal/phone service minimises the need for customers to travel to Clondalkin. A call out/home visit service also is available for customers who are unable to travel. Similar arrangements have been put in place in respect of the Departments’s Inspectorate.
In light of the difficulty in identifying a suitable site/building and in light of the completion in 2015 of the Clondalkin Intreo Centre, which included an extension into the adjoining and former Motor Tax Office; the need for a new office in the Lucan – Adamstown area was re-examined.
The Department believes that the scale of the operation in Clondalkin is capable of serving the population catchment of the Lucan-Adamstown area. The Department has no plans for an Intreo Centre in Lucan-Adamstown at the present time but the service will be monitored on an on-going basis to ensure that any negative impact on customers is minimised.
