BETWEEN MAY 2008 and May 2009 the numbers signing on at social welfare local offices throughout the State has risen by more than 97 per cent from over 201,700 to over 396,800, according to the Department of Social and Family Affairs.
The number of claims processed in local offices in the first three months of this year was over 155,000 compared with 86,000 in the same period last year. This is an increase of over 80 per cent.
A total of 246 extra posts have been allocated by the department in recent months. In accordance with Government policy, the majority of these posts were filled by the redeployment of existing civil servants, either within the department or from other Government departments.
Of these, 190 staff are being assigned to local offices, while 16 additional inspectors are in place in various locations to undertake means-testing and other work associated with processing of jobseeker’s allowance claims.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin has sought an additional 300 staff from across the civil service to help deal with the rise in the Live Register.
Since many local offices are very close to capacity in terms of accommodating extra staff, the department has set up a number of central support units in different locations. These units decide claims from offices around the country where backlogs have occurred.
Four such units are currently in operation in Dublin, Sligo, Finglas and Carrick-on-Shannon. Each unit has 10 staff.
“It is now planned to establish three further units with 10 staff each in Roscommon, Tallaght and Wexford and these units should be operational within the next few months,” a spokeswoman said.
