Westport Deputy Michael Ring has called on the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to ensure that all local social welfare offices can give the necessary information to their customers.
“Over the last number of months, I have come across numerous people who have looked for their social welfare information from their local social welfare offices in relation to third level grant applications and other grants that they are applying for. The local offices cannot give that information and people have to make contact with the Department of Social and Family Affairs in Sligo, Longford or Dublin to obtain the necessary information they need.
“I believe this is an unnecessary waste of resources, particularly when all this information should be readily available on their internal computer system.
“The Department of Social and Family Affairs has spent millions on upgrading their computer system and it is very wrong that with modern technology people cannot get that information at their own local social welfare office. It doesn’t make any sense that people have to submit the request for their necessary and private information to the central offices in Sligo or Longford. This process takes up too much time and often people need those statements urgently.
“I am calling on Minister Hanafin to look into the possibility of payment statements for social welfare recipients being made available at their local social welfare offices, so that the system is more user-friendly for their customers,” concluded Dep Ring.
