asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to transfer the administration of disability benefit claims to district or regional offices.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Disability Benefit Claims Administration.
8.
There are no immediate plans to transfer administration of the disability benefit scheme from headquarters to local offices. Such a move would require considerable extra resources by way of staff, accommodation and equipment and the local offices are already under severe pressure because of the increasing number of claimants for unemployment payments.
Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that a disability benefit system which could relate more closely to local circumstances would lead to greater efficiencies in administration and provide a better service to the public. To this end, visual display terminals linked to the Department's computers have been installed in 19 of the Department's offices to provide a rapid inquiry service in relation to disability benefit claims. It is intended to equip all the Department's information offices with these inquiry terminals in due course.
Further development of these inquiry facilities to provide a claims processing function for disability benefits at local offices will have to await a more comprehensive computerisation of all the services provided in the local offices. Such a programme is under way but will take several years to complete.