My Department and its agencies are fully committed to delivering excellent customer service.
The Department's Customer Charter outlines our commitments in detail, and explains what customers can expect when they contact us. It states that when a customer contacts us by letter or email that: "we will always provide you with a contact name, telephone number, email address or postal address, so that you can contact us again if you need to."
Department letters issued to customers contain the contact details of the relevant office dealing with the customer's claim or payment.
In relation to my Department’s website and social media platforms
- The Department's home page on gov.ie contains the main Department phone number as well as providing a link to a Phone Number Directory that contains all relevant contact phone numbers by scheme or service area so that people can easily access the phone number or email address that they need.
- The online portals mywelfare.ie and jobsireland.ie also contain relevant contact numbers and email addresses.
- The main Department phone number and an email address is available on Instagram, giving customers the choice to contact the Department via their preferred method.
- Twitter and LinkedIn channels provide a link to the Department’s home page on gov.ie, which includes all relevant contact numbers.
The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board (CIB), the Pensions Authority and the Pensions Council.
The Pensions Authority’s headed notepaper contains their phone number, as does their website. They do not provide a phone number on LinkedIn, the Authority’s only social media platform, as this platform is used only to post information already existing on its website.
The Pensions Council was established to provide policy advice to the Minister and, as such, it is not a public facing body, nor does it have staff. The Pensions Authority provides secretariat support to the Council and administers any enquiries received by the Council.
The Citizens Information Board has relevant telephone contact details on the websites and social media platforms they manage. The stationery and headed paper have contact details, including email addresses and a contact telephone number.
I trust the above clarifies matters for the Deputy.
