The Department delivers a front-line service through a network of Local Offices and Branch Offices countrywide. The main services provided from these offices include jobseekers payment, one-parent family payment and an information service. Branch Offices are operated under a contract for service and decisions on claims taken in Branch Offices are made in its departmental parent Local Office.
In the past few years the Department has coped with increasing demands arising from significant changes to the social welfare code and in the numbers of persons accessing services. Operational procedures and the organisation of work continue to be reviewed and restructured to maximise the benefits of technology and new developments in processing techniques and business information.
The Department is committed to providing a quality customer service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply. These conditions vary between the two jobseeker schemes and involve, among other things, the need to establish the person's social insurance record, establish the person's identity or their place of habitual residence and to assess means where appropriate. In some cases delays arise where the person fails to supply all pertinent information in support of his/her application.
The overall performance in any individual office in processing claims can be adversely affected by a wide variety of factors; including increased inflow of claims, staff vacancies and the duration of such vacancies and the turnover of staff in the office. The average processing time in November in each office is given in the following table.
Average processing time (in weeks) for Jobseeker's claims decided in November 2008
Local Office
|
Jobseekers Benefit
|
Jobseekers Allowance
|
Achill
|
0.54
|
1.04
|
Apollo House
|
4.58
|
5.23
|
Ardee
|
2.1
|
6.41
|
Arklow
|
2.86
|
5.69
|
Athlone
|
2.67
|
5.91
|
Athy
|
4.55
|
6.06
|
Balbriggan
|
2.0
|
5.27
|
Ballina
|
1.97
|
5.39
|
Ballinasloe
|
1.13
|
5.42
|
Ballinrobe
|
1.79
|
5.29
|
Ballybofey
|
1.09
|
2.02
|
Ballyconnell
|
3.57
|
8.49
|
Ballyfermot
|
2.1
|
6.93
|
Ballymun
|
1.18
|
2.37
|
Ballyshannon
|
0.77
|
2.19
|
Baltinglass
|
3.69
|
6.26
|
Bandon
|
3.84
|
12.95
|
Bantry
|
1.76
|
3.63
|
Bantry(BO)
|
1.85
|
4.54
|
Belmullet
|
1.47
|
1.86
|
Birr
|
1.57
|
4.35
|
Bishop Square
|
3.73
|
6.76
|
Blanchardstown
|
2.99
|
7.53
|
Boyle
|
3.66
|
9.35
|
Bray
|
3.43
|
6.73
|
Buncrana
|
2.34
|
3.12
|
Cahir
|
0.92
|
2.06
|
Cahirciveen
|
2.31
|
4.94
|
Carlow
|
2.45
|
5.91
|
Carraigaline
|
1.33
|
10.77
|
Carrickmacross
|
2.04
|
4.96
|
Carrick-on-Shannon
|
1.19
|
3.92
|
Carrick-on-Suir
|
2.03
|
6.13
|
Cashel
|
1.68
|
3.72
|
Castlebar
|
1.77
|
3.39
|
Castleblaney
|
2.01
|
4.83
|
Castlepollard
|
3.16
|
6.3
|
Castlerea
|
2.01
|
6.47
|
Cavan
|
2.66
|
7.30
|
Claremorris
|
2.43
|
7.32
|
Clifden
|
1.04
|
2.43
|
Clonakilty
|
4.22
|
11.86
|
Clondalkin
|
2.51
|
4.78
|
Clones
|
2.01
|
3.94
|
Clonmel
|
1.6
|
2.87
|
Cobh
|
0.89
|
1.04
|
Coolock
|
1.56
|
3.71
|
Cork
|
3.80
|
8.29
|
Dingle
|
1.48
|
1.96
|
Donegal
|
1.21
|
1.87
|
Drogheda
|
2.06
|
9.88
|
Dun Laoghaire
|
1.76
|
7.00
|
Dundalk
|
1.86
|
5.00
|
Dunfanaghy
|
0.98
|
1.50
|
Dungarvan
|
2.62
|
4.26
|
Dungloe
|
1.44
|
2.28
|
Edenderry
|
2.70
|
13.94
|
Ennis
|
1.32
|
2.82
|
Enniscorthy
|
1.90
|
4.72
|
Ennistymon
|
2.48
|
3.87
|
Fermoy
|
2.90
|
4.72
|
Finglas
|
2.08
|
3.93
|
Galway
|
3.66
|
9.53
|
Gorey
|
1.91
|
5.02
|
Gort
|
2.35
|
5.82
|
Kells
|
2.66
|
10.55
|
Kenmare
|
1.99
|
2.27
|
Kilbarrack
|
1.90
|
3.37
|
Kilkenny
|
1.12
|
4.65
|
Killarney
|
1.61
|
3.56
|
Killorglin
|
1.50
|
6.28
|
Killybegs
|
0.75
|
1.61
|
Kilmallock
|
1.64
|
3.93
|
Kilrush
|
1.11
|
2.48
|
Kinsale
|
4.47
|
8.94
|
Letterkenny
|
2.36
|
4.76
|
Limerick
|
2.16
|
5.22
|
Listowel
|
5.06
|
5.35
|
Longford
|
3.33
|
5.87
|
Loughrea
|
2.18
|
7.34
|
Macroom
|
3.59
|
5.06
|
Mallow
|
2.89
|
5.03
|
Manorhamilton
|
1.29
|
1.67
|
Maynooth
|
3.00
|
9.50
|
Midleton
|
2.73
|
8.52
|
Monaghan
|
2.05
|
3.80
|
Muine Bheag
|
5.20
|
9.24
|
Mullingar
|
2.10
|
6.58
|
Navan
|
3.54
|
9.85
|
Navan Road
|
2.18
|
5.34
|
Nenagh
|
1.63
|
1.85
|
New Ross
|
2.43
|
5.33
|
Newbridge
|
4.13
|
5.93
|
Newcastle West
|
1.66
|
3.79
|
Newmarket
|
2.80
|
6.71
|
Nth Cumberland St.
|
1.48
|
2.17
|
Nutgrove
|
1.02
|
2.20
|
Portarlington
|
1.64
|
7.53
|
Portlaoise
|
2.92
|
7.55
|
Rathdowney
|
2.20
|
7.11
|
Roscommon
|
3.11
|
6.58
|
Roscrea
|
1.52
|
2.42
|
Skibbereen
|
1.92
|
3.44
|
Sligo
|
1.35
|
3.75
|
Swinford
|
1.69
|
5.76
|
Swords
|
1.94
|
2.10
|
Tallaght
|
1.47
|
3.05
|
Thomas Street
|
2.69
|
4.16
|
Thomastown
|
2.26
|
6.40
|
Thurles
|
1.36
|
2.67
|
Tipperary
|
1.34
|
2.31
|
Tralee
|
1.92
|
3.17
|
Trim
|
2.85
|
11.59
|
Tuam
|
3.02
|
8.24
|
Tubbercurry
|
1.68
|
4.42
|
Tulla
|
1.08
|
2.88
|
Tullamore
|
1.77
|
7.86
|
Tullow
|
4.17
|
9.68
|
Waterford
|
2.16
|
4.46
|
Westport
|
1.87
|
1.62
|
Wexford
|
1.79
|
4.34
|
Wicklow
|
1.77
|
5.24
|
Youghal
|
2.27
|
6.25
|