John Browne
Ceist:14 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline his views on the fact that there is a slowing down in the length of time taken to assess applicants for non-contributory payments.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Social Welfare Applicants' Assessment.
Measurements are taken regularly of the times taken to process the very large numbers of claims lodged with the Department under each of its various schemes. These measurements show that there has been an improvement since the beginning of the year in the average times taken to investigate and determine applications for virtually all of the non-contributory social welfare schemes. For instance there has been an improvement of almost three weeks in the case of old age pensions, over two weeks in the case of lone parents payments and almost one week in the case of unemployment assistance.
These improvements relate to overall average times taken to process claims which may not reflect temporary disimprovements in particular situations. Nevertheless any slowing down of processing times in any area is given immediate attention.
My Department are actively working to introduce measures designed to permit further reductions in the time taken to decide claims.
The introduction of a regional management structure has helped in this regard. All decisions on unemployment payment claims are now given in local offices of the Department rather than centrally. The recruitment of additional investigative staff and an arrangement whereby claimants, whose cases appear straightforward, are interviewed at the Department's local offices rather than in their homes, is helping to reduce the average time taken to put claims into payment.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): Can the Minister explain why he said there was an improvement of two weeks? If it is an improvement from a six months delay to four months and three weeks, or some such time, can the Minister defend that it takes a minimum of six weeks, or perhaps two months, before an official call to the claimant? Obviously, those who have applied need the money. It may take a further six weeks to process the claim. Is it fair that it should take that length of time even though the Minister says there is an improvement but I do not think there is?
I suppose the answer to this question is that there are lies, damn lies and statistics. To put it another way, if you are chronically ill with the 'flu you may improve but you are still sick. I think the Deputy has unemployment assistance in mind. There has been an improvement since January 1992, but since May 1991 there has been a disimprovement. The major constraining factor is that there are so many thousands of people on unemployment assistance. There has been an overall improvement since the beginning of the year but due to the increasing numbers coming on to the live register, as everybody keeps reminding us daily in the House, further problems are created for the staff of my Department, so that it takes longer to process claims.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): Would the Minister consider appointing extra officials? In fairness, the officials can only deal with a certain amount. Is there any possibility that the Minister could divide the areas and provide extra officials?
That matter will have to be looked at by another Department.
(Carlow-Kilkenny): There is a growing demand.
I am a pretty large employer.
It is a growth industry.
There is a demand on time. We must move on to——
May I suggest to the Minister, because so many people are going off unemployment benefit to unemployment assistance, the means testing be done prior to the termination of unemployment benefit and that it should not be necessary for social welfare officers to call to a house two or three times in the course of a week. People should be asked to attend the social welfare officer in the social welfare centres before going on to unemployment assistance.
That is a fair point.
That is a good point. It should be possible to do that, in the light of my plans for a unitary means test for all schemes, with computerisation etc. That would be the intention of my Department.