I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 42 together.
The number of customers seeking to access the Department’s Community Welfare Service (CWS) in Falcarragh has fallen considerably, to a level where it is no longer sustainable to maintain a clinic there. At present the number of weekly customers attending the Falcarragh clinic has fallen to an average of 5 a week or less. The fall in numbers is due to the far quicker turnaround on decisions on long term Social Welfare payments and also due to the administration of rental support being transferred to the Local Authority under the Housing Assistance Payment scheme.
The reduced numbers of clients who may continue to seek assistance at the Falcarragh clinic are being facilitated at the nearby weekly clinic in Dunfanaghy Intreo Office where the full range of DSP Services will also be available to customers.
If a person is unable to travel to the Dunfanaghy clinic, for example due to illness, a phone number has been provided for the customer to contact the CWS. In such circumstances, a home visit by a Community Welfare Officer will be arranged if necessary. Arrangements for emergency cases requiring the assistance of the CWS outside of normal working hours will also continue to remain in place in Falcarragh. A contact phone number for accessing this is with An Garda Síochána, HSE and other relevant Authorities.
The local Social Welfare Inspector will continue to be available to customers in Falcarragh and will continue to provide a public access day on Friday mornings.
The most recent statistics in relation to the numbers of service users who attended the weekly CWS Clinic held at the Inspector's Office in Falcarragh, in County Donegal is set out in the following table.
Attendance at Falcarragh CWS Clinic From 15
th
July 2015 - 31 March 2016
Date
|
Number attending
|
JULY 2015
|
|
15TH
|
8
|
22ND
|
11
|
29th
|
5
|
AUGUST 2015
|
|
5th
|
4
|
12th
|
11
|
19th
|
10
|
26th
|
4
|
SEPTEMBER 2015
|
|
2nd
|
3
|
9th
|
2
|
16th
|
4
|
23rd
|
5
|
30th
|
5
|
OCTOBER 2015
|
|
7th
|
3
|
14th
|
7
|
21st
|
5
|
28th
|
7
|
NOVEMBER 2015
|
|
4th
|
8
|
11th
|
3
|
18th
|
4
|
25th
|
8
|
DECEMBER 2015
|
|
2nd
|
3
|
9th
|
4
|
16th
|
-
|
JANUARY 2016
|
|
6th
|
2
|
13th
|
-
|
20th
|
7
|
27th
|
10
|
FEBRUARY 2016
|
|
3rd
|
2
|
10th
|
11
|
17th
|
4
|
24th
|
6
|
MARCH 2016
|
|
2nd
|
-
|
9th
|
5
|
16th
|
5
|
23rd
|
-
|
30th
|
8
|