23/01/2009

Welfare Staff Working Overtime

Minister for Social & Family Affairs Mary Hanafin has said welfare payment officers are "working flat out" to deal with increasing growing amount of jobseekers.

Ms Hanafin says the increased numbers signing on the Live Register is putting staff under extreme pressure.

The Minister said it took an average of two weeks to process new benefit claims and five weeks to deal with jobseekers' allowance applications in December.

Some 115 additional staff have been recruited to handle the spike in claims and the minister says the situation is under constant review.

The news comes as it emerged that two luxury hotels in west Dublin, opened less than 18 months ago, are to close their doors with the loss of 72 jobs.

The Glashaus Hotel closed yesterday and the Tallaght Cross Hotel will cease trading this weekend. Both hotels are owned by property developer Liam Carroll.

The 186-bedroom Tallaght Cross opened in February last year and cost €20 million to develop. Its sister hotel, the 48-bedroom Glashaus, began trading in September 2007.

(DW

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

22 March 2012
Bookings Up For Irish Family-Owned Hotels
New figures released today show that bookings in Irish family-owned hotels have increased in the first two months of this year. Irish Country Hotels, a collection of 26 family-owned hotels in Ireland, show a 21% increase in bookings for January and February compared to the same period in 2011.
22 November 2011
Hospitality Vat Rate To Be Maintained
Irish hoteliers and restaurateurs can look a more secure future with the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar telling a hospitality conference today that the lower 9% VAT rate for tourism products will remain in place next year.
13 August 2007
Two Well-Known Dublin Hotels To Close
Two of Dublin's best-known hotels will close their doors today after 35 years in business. Jury's Ballsbridge and the adjacent Berkeley Court have been bought by property developer Sean Dunne for approximately 380 million euro. The sites will be redeveloped for apartments and commercial units.
13 October 2022
New Staff Wellbeing Hub Opens At Maghaberry Prison
Justice Minister Naomi Long has officially opened a new Staff Wellbeing Hub at Maghaberry Prison, highlighting how 'prison officers carry out a challenging and unique role and it is important that we ensure they receive the wellbeing support, recognition and development opportunities deserving of the role'.
26 September 2019
Minister For Justice Attends 17th Annual Cross Border Organised Crime Conference
The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, has attended the 17th annual Cross Border Conference on Organised Crime.