Newly-unemployed wait ten weeks for dole in Edenderry

Newly-unemployed workers are waiting up to ten weeks for Jobseekers Allowance in Edenderry, because social welfare offices are overwhelmed by the number of new applicants. These are the most recent figures available from the Department of Social Affairs whose offices are swamped with longer and longer dole queues in the Midlands. Although the Minister for Social Affairs recruited extra staff before Christmas, only two were employed in the Tullamore office. There was no extra staff allocated for Edenderry or Birr. 'It"s hard enough for people to lose their job in the midst of a deep recession. But to expect them to wait almost four months (in Trim) for their first social welfare payment is nothing short of callous,' said Deputy Enright. 'The scale of job losses is now escalating. Unemployment now stands at 8.3%, with the live register set to reach at least 400,000 this year... If the social welfare offices cannot cope now, delays for Jobseekers Allowance can only get worse.' Deputy Enright said that the current new crop of social welfare office staff will not be enough to meet the rising demand. 'Meanwhile, newly jobless claimants are bearing the brunt of her failure. How exactly does Minister Hanafin expect these people to survive in the coming months if the State cannot provide an income?' she asked.