Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
361. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff employed in the management of the public services card phone line service; the number of calls that have been received by month since January 2020; the number of cards that have been processed; if she will consider extending the service online to improve efficiency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34432/21]
View answerMy Department provides telephone and in-person service to customers enquiring about the Public Services Card (PSC) through its nationwide network of Intreo offices. In addition, my Department also provides a centralised phone service for PSC-related queries from its Client Identity Services (CIS) office in Carrick-on-Shannon.
In that office, there are normally 21 staff assigned to deal with telephone calls from customers, with additional resources assigned to help meet spikes in demand, when required. The number of calls to this centralised phone service has increased recently.
The number of phone calls dealt by the centralised phone service along with the number of PSCs issued per month since January 2020 is provided in the tabular statement provided. This information is in relation to that centralised phone service only; data on the number of enquiries dealt with by Intreo Centres is not recorded.
I would also like to point out that the Department has introduced a new online service which allows customers to renew their PSC through the Department’s MyWelfare.ie service. A verified MyGovID account is required to use this service, and a passport quality photograph must be uploaded with the renewal application.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Public Service Cards issued and calls dealt with by CIS per month January 2020 to May 2021
|
Month |
PSC issued |
Calls dealt with |
|
Jan-2020 |
51,524 |
8,301 |
|
Feb-2020 |
49,392 |
7,245 |
|
Mar-2020 |
39,394 |
10,102 |
|
Apr-2020 |
17,400 |
19,849 |
|
May-2020 |
16,327 |
13,400 |
|
Jun-2020 |
15,864 |
18,353 |
|
Jul-2020 |
19,179 |
17,342 |
|
Aug-2020 |
20,937 |
9,623 |
|
Sep-2020 |
28,978 |
21,075 |
|
Oct-2020 |
26,838 |
23,049 |
|
Nov-2020 |
22,174 |
30,072 |
|
Dec-2020 |
22,129 |
24,004 |
|
Jan-2021 |
21,519 |
29,577 |
|
Feb-2021 |
21,336 |
32,606 |
|
Mar-2021 |
23,055 |
28,132 |
|
Apr-2021 |
21,791 |
25,456 |
|
May-2021 |
32,980 |
28,791 |
