Refusal to process dole claims ‘another example of inefficiency’

MANAGEMENT at one of the country’s 62 non-civil servant run social welfare branch offices have described a refusal by the public sector to allow them to process new dole claims as “just another example of the gross inefficiency”.

Staff at one of the branch offices estimate they could have claims authorised for claimants within 10 days if the civil service unions would allow them to become deciding officers.

Figures obtained by the Irish Examiner revealed during the week that newly unemployed people in some parts of the country will have to wait until the New Year to have their dole applications processed. The longest wait for the means-tested jobseekers’ allowance is in Edenderry, Co Offaly, where processing times average more than 22 weeks.

There are 62 independent branch offices which are staffed by non-civil servants who were awarded a contract for services from the Department for Family and Social Affairs. The manager of the branch office pays his or her own rent, utility bills and hires their own staff and makes his own pension arrangements. In contrast, staff at the Department of Social and Family Affairs’ local offices are civil servant, with full benefits including defined benefit pensions.

It’s understood that all the new claims for unemployment benefit are now being sent to Sligo to be authorised and that many of the claims can lie in Department of Social Welfare local offices for weeks before they are sent to the north-west – as staff in local offices have experienced an enormous workload increase in the past 18 months. It’s understood the department is paying overtime to staff to process these claims whereas the branch offices have not sought extra money.

A branch office manager, with more than 25 years experience, told the Irish Examiner he is “deeply saddened by the great hardship being suffered by claimants waiting months for their entitlements”.

The department wants the independent branch officers to begin authorising new claims, but the Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU) is fighting the move.

“The plan to allow us to authorise claims was formulated as part of an earlier national wage agreement. We are willing to do it but the civil servants are fighting it all the way,” the branch management source said.

The CPSU and the department was due to go to the Labour Court shortly because of its demand that some claim decisions be made at branch offices.

Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said that the CPSU has breached a 2008 agreement while Derek Mullen of the CPSU says the backlogs are caused by a lack of manpower.