Noel Dempsey
Ceist:313 Mr. Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Welfare the means-tested schemes operated by his Department; and the number of people involved in processing the means testing of each of these schemes. [13013/95]
Written Answers. - Means-tested Social Assistance Schemes.
My Department administers various means-tested social assistance schemes provided for in Part II of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993 as follows: unemployment assistance, pre-retirement allowance, old age (non-contributory) pension, blind pension, widows and orphans (non-contributory) pensions, deserted wife's allowance, prisoner's wife's allowance, lone parent's allowance, carer's allowance.
In addition, it administers the family income supplement provided for in Part V of that Act.
Fuel allowance payable, subject to a mean test, during the winter months is also administered by my Department. Means investigation is carried out by local social welfare inspectors. In recent years, means assessments are also being made on a summary basis without referral to an inspector at the initial stage in order to speed up claim processing. In the case of local offices, these summary assessments are applied to certain unemployment assistance claims and in the case of Headquarter Offices they are applied to certain claims for lone parent's allowance, carer's allowance and fuel allowance. Claims for family income supplement are, as a rule, decided on the basis of documentation submitted with a small proportion requiring referral to a local inspector.
The Department employs 373 social welfare inspectors around the country. This cadre of inspectors has a range of duties relating to means-testing, PRSI compliance inspection and, in some cases, specialist control work. In addition, some 100 staff at local offices and Headquarters are involved to varying degrees in summary assessment work on certain means-testing assistance claims and family income supplement. The work is so organised that staff, including inspectors, are not engaged solely in means-testing. In many cases, the means-testing element of their duties is the minor one.
Inspectors do not deal solely with any particular type of claim. In the case of summary assessments, the staff involved deal with particular claims as follows:
|
Unemployment assistance and fuel allowance |
80 staff |
|
Family income supplement |
18 staff |
|
Carer's allowance, lone parent's allowance and fuel allowance for pensioners: |
2 staff |
I must emphasise that these staff also perform other functions in relation to these claims, ranging from acceptance of claims and ensuring that supporting documentation is received right through to authorisation of payment.