27/04/10

CORK East Labour Party TD Sean Sherlock has said staff shortages in social welfare offices across the constituency are causing major delays in the processing of applications for jobseekers benefit and allowance

Deputy Sherlock, who obtained figures from the department of Social Protection on the numbers currently awaiting a decision on their jobseekers payment, said it is a cause of major concern to see that there are still hundreds of applications not processed across Mallow and Fermoy.

 

"There is simply not enough staff to deal with the volume of applications which are growing every day. Many social welfare offices were already in trouble in terms of staffing before the recession hit and the workload has now more than doubled. In the case of Mallow staff are also working in substandard conditions having been promised more than a year ago that they would be relocated to more suitable premises," stated the Deputy.

 

"Efforts have to be made at government level to tackle this situation which is adding to the distress of many families, who are barely making ends meet. It's unfair to expect someone who has been made redundant, and has an entitlement to jobseekers to have to wait months before they get a penny from the state," he said.

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