15 week wait for dole benefits in Edenderry

People applying for the dole in the Edenderry Social Welfare office are now waiting up to 15 weeks before receiving their first payments, it emerged this week. The increased delays are largely due to the doubling of those signing on in the area in the space of one year from April 2008 to April 2009 as shown by the latest Live Register figures. In Tullamore, people signing on to receive Jobseekers" Allowance have to wait 9.94 weeks, and 3.72 weeks for Jobseekers" Benefit. While in Birr, the wait for Jobseekers" Allowance is 5.63 weeks and 3.25 weeks for Jobseekers" Benefit. Fine Gael Deputy Olwyn Enright highlighted the most recent delays in receiving social welfare payments. The delay in social welfare payments is putting a huge strain on families, who desperately need some kind of weekly cash flow. The almost four-month wait would especially hit those who do not receive any redundancy pay. Deputy Enright said the decision by Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin to employ extra staff is coming too late. 'Minister Hanafin"s decision to transfer staff from the Department of Finance to social welfare offices comes a year too late. The dole queues have been lengthening for the last 12 months and we have no indication from the Minister when these staff, if they are re-allocated, can even start work,' said Deputy Enright. 'The most recent figures for waiting times from the Department of Social Affairs are shocking. Newly unemployed people in Edenderry currently face a 15 week wait for jobseekers allowance. Their only other State alternative is to seek help from Community Welfare Offices, which are also struggling to cope with demand.' Last Friday"s CSO figures showed numbers signing on the Live Register in Offaly have soared yet again, jumping by 234 people in the space of one month from March to April this year. There are now 7,430 people signing on throughout the county. In Birr, the number on the register shot up from 1,798 in March to 1,845 in April. In Edenderry, it went from 1,988 to 2,032 and in Tullamore it went from 3,410 to 3,553. The Fine Gael candidate for the European elections, Senator John Paul Phelan, said that the elections are vitally important as Fine Gael want to implement a 'crucial' job creation policy. 'Our country needs a concrete plan for job creation and job protection. Fine Gael is the only party that has such a policy. Make no mistake about it, this European Election is one of the most critical ever as it is our friends in Europe who will help us out