asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she has any intention of increasing the staff in the social welfare office in Cork as there is a huge backlog of work associated with applications for the various allowances etc. which is causing severe hardship; and, if so, when.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Social Welfare Office.
7.
There is no major backlog of work at the employment exchange or at the social welfare offices in South Mall, Cork, in which officers from my Department's inspection branch are based. There has, however, been a substantial increase in recent years in the workload of the inspection branch and of my Department generally. This has had an effect on their ability to provied services as quickly as they would like in all cases. Every effort is being made to ensure that claims are decided as quickly as possible and that delays are kept to a minimum.
Staffing levels in my Department are at present being reviewed in the context of staffing levels for the Civil Service as a whole being fixed. I am hopeful that this review will result in additional staff being assigned to my Department. I would like to point out that claimants who are awaiting decisions on their entitlement to social welfare benefit, assistance or allowances can have recourse to the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.
Would the Minister agree that the six months waiting period is an unreasonable period which in many cases has caused hardship, anxiety and uncertainty? Is the Minister aware that in many cases it has driven these people into the arms, as Deputy Bruton said earlier, of moneylenders? Would the Minister agree today to review the situation in Cork? I submit the Minister is misinformed about the position in Cork. It is a black spot which needs to be looked at.
I regret very much that there are delays in entitlements being granted to people. It is a great pity that there should be a backlog such as this. The trouble is, as I said to the Deputy earlier on, that there has been a substantial increase in the workload of the Department generally. I am told that the position in Cork is, generally speaking, not different from elsewhere and that the problem is to deploy additional staff fairly and evenly where they can be obtained. We are looking at the staffing levels in the harder pressed areas to try to have the staff increased in those areas. My Department are having discussions with the Department of the Public Service to see how we can achieve those increases. I am pressing very hard in this area and I am hoping we will achieve additional staff in the coming months.
I am told that in the employment exchange in Cork the work of the Department is up-to-date, being dealt with on a day-to-day basis as it is received. Items on hand in the inspection branch amount to six to seven weeks work. These are mainly investigations in the case of pensions, social assistance allowances and unemployment assistance. Whereas the Deputy, quite rightly, expressed some alarm at what he feels to be undue delays, all I can do is give the Deputy what I am told are the facts in this area.
Is the Minister aware that delays occur in the investigation of unemployment assistance, deserted wives and single parents allowances as well as non-contributory pensions? Would the Minister give special attention to that area and, in the review being carried out within her Department, ensure that sufficient staff are allocated to that area because hardship, anxiety and uncertainty are being occasioned in this respect? Would the Minister review the situation in those specific areas?
The situation of staffing generally is being reviewed in all areas, and indeed needs to be reviewed in all areas.
Would the Minister state the number of personnel assigned specifically as assessment officers for the Cork area?
I do not have that information. If I had some notice of that question I would be delighted to answer it.
The Minister said there was to be further recruitment. The Minister must know at this stage the number of people assigned specifically as assessment officers. If the Minister is talking about recruitment she must have some informarificatio tion about the number of people employed as assessment officers.
I am afraid I have not because the Deputy did not put that question down or give me any notice of it. If the Deputy would, I would be delighted to give him that figure.