The allocation of roles and duties of staff in an area are within the remit of the local Divisional management team and are determined by the business needs of that area. Staff may work both in the role of a social welfare inspector and community welfare officer as required depending on the ongoing operational needs of the area in question.
I am advised by my Department that there is no conflict of interest in these instances as each scheme application is dealt with by the officer in accordance with the guidelines for that particular scheme. An officer working in the role of a social welfare inspector may carry out an investigation on a case and may also act as a community welfare officer if the same customer applied for supplementary welfare allowance on an interim basis pending the outcome of the original scheme investigation.
In this situation the inspector makes the decision on the supplementary welfare allowance claim and the original scheme claim is decided by a deciding officer based on the reports completed by the social welfare inspector.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
