As social assistance branch office managers were being inundated with enquiries from Ukrainian immigrants, a government department provided “irregular” payments totalling more than €1.4 million to them, reports RTE.
After learning that the managers were working at home and after hours to assist those in the temporary protection system who were escaping the fighting, the Department of Social Protection approved the payments.
The Comptroller and Auditor General strongly reprimanded the €1.425 million spending, stating that the Department of Public spending should have been contacted for approval., reports RTE.
Managers of social welfare branches were overburdened after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to internal documents.
An email said: “The language barrier is significant, and they perceive the branch office to be the main source of information for all public services”, reports RTE.
“They are placing huge demands on the branch offices; they call regularly and in high numbers to the offices for a multiplicity of needs and this is putting additional pressure on [staff],” the email said, reports RTE.
Additionally, it stated that because branch office employees had to work long hours, their electricity and other utility bills at home were rising.
In internal discussions in late 2022, an official wrote: “[They] are the only government office in most areas (most are based in rural areas), and high claim loads mean higher numbers of people visiting the offices, higher staffing requirements and larger offices. [These] all contribute to increased financial costs and outgoings – some smaller [offices] have disproportionately high numbers of [temporary protection Ukrainians to help],” reports RTE.
According to a report on ex-gratia payments, branch managers were having trouble granting requests for remote work, staff pay evaluations, sick pay, and growing operating expenses.
It said that the financial gap may be partially filled with a “one-off” lump payment from an underspend in another departmental area, reports RTE.
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