My Department's policy is to ensure that a range of payment options is available to customers and that service is continually improved by providing access to the wide range of payment options and new services and facilities now available. At present, some 175,000 customers of my Department, mostly those on unemployment and other short term payments, receive their payment by means of electronic information transfer, EIT, at post offices. My Department issues an electronic payments file to An Post, on a daily basis, with payment details for each customer. The customer accesses their payment by using their social services card at their nominated post office.
The timeframe in which payments must be collected before they expire depends on the control measures associated with that payment and the capacity of the computer systems in my Department and in An Post. Unemployment payments, payable on Tuesday and Wednesday each week, must be collected by the following Tuesday. Customers using this system to collect longer-term payments, which are due for collection on Thursdays and Fridays each week, have an extra week that is up to the following Tuesday week, to collect their payments.
Recently some 43,000 one-parent family payment customers of my Department changed from personalised payable order books, PPO, to payment by EIT using their social services card at their local post office. At present, the payments for these customers are due to be collected on a Thursday and if uncollected the payment expires on the following Tuesday. My Department has reviewed the position regarding these customers and as a result the period within which their payment must be collected is being extended by one week. The new arrangements will be put in place during April.
If a customer is unable to collect his or her payment at the post office in time, for instance because of illness, an absence from home or work commitments, arrangements are made by my Department to reissue the payment. Customers may also notify the local office of my Department if they plan to take a holiday so that their payments can be reinstated promptly on their return. Some customers may find it more convenient to have the payment made directly to their bank account and my Department will facilitate this where the customer requests this arrangement.