Since this time last year approximately 200,000 people have lost their jobs. When people lose their jobs they apply for social welfare payments. It usually takes a number of weeks for a social welfare payment to be processed and paid. If there is any complication with a claim, for example, if the paperwork is wrong, in particular if somebody has been self-employed, it can take much longer. In some cases it takes three months but it may be more before a social welfare payment is made. While somebody who has lost his or her job is waiting for a social welfare payment, he or she is expected to go to the health centre to make an application to the community welfare officer for supplementary welfare assistance. The problem now is that the community welfare system is creaking under the strain due to the large numbers of people who are turning up, and due to the impact of the Government recruitment and replacement embargo.

Let me give the Taoiseach a couple of examples. The community welfare officer in the Loughlinstown health centre in my constituency has been out sick for the past four weeks approximately. He was replaced, and his replacement is now out sick.

They are sick of it.

There has been no community welfare officer in the centre for the past several weeks. The community welfare officer in the Dún Laoghaire health centre has been out sick for the past three or four weeks, and there is no community welfare officer there either. I have heard of a number of other cases where community welfare officers are on holidays, which is perfectly understandable. The difficulty is that people are turning up at the centres but there is nobody to deal with their claims.

I met a man who has been out of work since 11 May. He has not received a payment of any kind from social welfare or the community welfare officer. He told me that but for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul he would have starved. I met another person who is out of work since January of last year who has a mortgage and is under pressure from the financial institution to pay the mortgage arrears. The person is entitled to mortgage interest relief but cannot get a community welfare officer to make a decision on it. Another woman, who was self-employed, has been trying to reach a community welfare officer for three weeks to address her requirements. I received a report stating people queued for two and a half hours at the Loughlinstown health centre this day last week to meet a community welfare officer, only to be told eventually that none would appear to deal with their problems. I do not blame the community welfare officers because I know them and realise they have done and are doing a fine job in very difficult circumstances.

There are two problems that must be urgently addressed. First, many of the people who are now attending at social welfare and community welfare offices have never had any contact with the social welfare system and never wanted to have any. It is a grim experience for them to find themselves out of work with no social welfare payment coming through and to discover the emergency service that is supposed to assist them is not available and nobody is present to deal with their problem. Second, there is a problem with the degree of pressure and stress now experienced by the community welfare service as a result of the large numbers attending and of the complicated circumstances of those who are presenting to make claims. I refer to those coming out of self-employment with varying types of social welfare records.

What will the Government do to ensure somebody who is already in bad circumstances as a result of having lost his job will receive the service to which he is entitled when he turns up at a social welfare or community welfare office? Will there be sufficient staff drafted in to ensure an adequate service is provided to meet the increasing demand? The service was dealing with approximately 150,000 unemployed people but there are now 400,000. The service needs to be adjusted to meet the new demand.

I take the point that the Department of Social and Family Affairs has an increased workload as a result of the unfortunate rise in unemployment, particularly over the past 12 months. That point is known to all of us as constituency Members in so far as we have dealt with social welfare claims.

Some 365 staff have been transferred from other Departments to the Department of Social and Family Affairs and further transfers will be required. Deputy Gilmore has outlined to me some of the problems in his constituency regarding the sick leave of community welfare officers. I do not know the specific details. As the Deputy knows, there has been a long-standing industrial relations issue regarding the transfer of community welfare officer staff from the HSE to the Department of Social and Family Affairs, despite many attempts to address this on everyone's behalf. Bringing this process to a successful conclusion will greatly assist with the management of the situation, quite apart from addressing the extra pressures people are experiencing due to changed circumstances.

Special dedicated units have been established by the Minister, on her direction, to deal solely with claims, improve the throughput and reduce assessment and waiting times. An appointment system is in place in some offices and it is being rolled out nationally over time to assist people in avoiding queues. The Minister is aware of the need for a dignified effort by everybody to assist those who have to make social welfare claims.

I take the point that some people never believed it probable they would be dependent on social welfare payments during their careers. This issue, including the need to have more staff in the Department, is being dealt with as a matter of priority by the Minister. I will have to check the specific community welfare officer issues raised by the Deputy and revert to him on why there may be a problem with the officers' replacement.

My purpose in raising this problem is to get it solved. I am concerned about those who have lost their jobs. It is stressful for them in any event and involves a considerable change to their living circumstances. Suddenly having to turn to the social welfare service for assistance is bad enough but it is even worse if that assistance is not available and if one turns up at one's local office on any given week and finds a notice on the window stating there will be no staff present. This is not acceptable. If the process is working like this in the constituency of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, which I have the honour of sharing with her, I suspect it is happening elsewhere also. I know it is from colleagues. I want to see the problem resolved such that one's social welfare claim will be dealt with promptly and that there will be a member of staff available to meet one at the social welfare office.

Apart from the consequences of the delays for the individual, which are my primary concern, there are knock-on consequences. My colleague, Deputy Higgins, drew attention recently to the consequences of the delays for people being offered short-term work. If an unemployed person takes up an offer of short-term work for a week or two, he will be placed at the end of the queue when he re-applies for social welfare. Somebody who has had to wait three months for his claim to be processed and who has had the experience I have described in respect of community welfare officers will wonder what will happen next time at the social welfare office when his or her short-term job is finished. Apart from the need to resolve the problem in the interest of the unemployed, it must be resolved in the interest of the existing cohort of community welfare officers who are under strain. It is a very stressful to be dealing with the number of claims being made at present and the system, as it operates, acts as a disincentive to unemployed people to take up short-term work. I ask that the matter be dealt with promptly. I will return to it if it is not.

As I stated, I understand there is an accelerated process for people moving in and out of work and those requiring FÁS training, etc. The Deputy highlighted two points that are valid and need to be addressed. They are being addressed to the best of our ability under present arrangements. Reviewing present arrangements in terms of flexibilities across the public service and getting people to the point of contact at the pressure points more quickly are in the interest of all of us who wish to defend public services and see them provided in a timely and appropriate away.

In the context of the social partnership talks we are having at present on a sector by sector basis, there are discussions taking place on how we can improve the system, through the transforming public services agenda, to provide sufficient personnel when services pressures are particularly severe in specific areas of activity. Everyone must be prepared to review existing agreements and arrangements for this to happen, as Deputy Gilmore will know from the expertise he gained during his career in industrial relations. There is a requirement in general policy terms that all of us step up to the mark to ensure we can deal with these matters in a timely and appropriate way. The processes and systems we have in place in the industrial relations area mean, as the Deputy said, those who are dependent on services, whether for a temporary or more prolonged period, find their availability is not quite what they would desire.

It is in the interest of all of us who believe in public services to have flexibility on the ground to achieve the required outputs and service levels so they will be made available to those who have lost their jobs in a timely and appropriate way. This point is well made and the Government is making it in the social partnership talks. It needs to be addressed successfully by all of us collaboratively so we will achieve the outcomes people desire.

The industrial relations problem concerning community welfare officers generally has been with us for far too long. As the Deputy knows, there has been a series of recommendations——

That is not the case.

It is in that we do not have the flexibility needed across the services to put the personnel in position when they are required.

It is a management issue.

While I agree it is a management issue, it is not just that. It is also an issue that all of us involved in social partnership must address successfully.

A partnership agreement is not necessary to put in a replacement officer.

With respect, the process of transferring more personnel into the Department of Social and Family Affairs to meet the need has been successful with 360 employees thus far. We need more and we need them more quickly to ensure that service is available. We need to update the processes so that this happens in a more timely and expeditious way. That should be done, while respecting everyone's position, so that the people who depend on the service, not the service providers who have a job on their hands, get it as they need it. That is the challenge for the transforming public services agenda and we are addressing it sector by sector. My colleague will furnish the full information on how to rectify the specific problem the Deputy raises as soon as possible.