My Department is committed to providing an efficient and speedy service to all its customers by ensuring that claims for its various schemes are processed and decided as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply.
The time taken to process claims varies significantly having regard to the difficulty in establishing the circumstances of each case. People claiming unemployment benefit must provide evidence of identification and address and satisfy conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work. Failure to provide this information on time can result in a delay in processing a claim. Investigations may need to be carried out to establish a person's PRSI contributions or details of their household circumstances which may also result in a delay in processing their claim.
Seasonal and other workers who are aware of their impending unemployment can notify my Department in advance and thereby speed up the processing of their claims. Since October 2001 it has been possible to do this, using the Internet, at www.welfare.ie.
In September the average time taken from the date of application for unemployment benefit to the date of award was two and a half weeks.
Claim processing performance is monitored on an ongoing basis and staff are deployed as necessary to meet the requirements of fluctuating volumes of work. During the summer months staffing levels are normally lower due to annual leave arrangements. Every effort is made to ensure that any reduction in staffing levels does not impact adversely on claim processing times.
