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Opposition critic for Human Resources, Labour and Employment, Roland Butler,
is requesting the minister to confirm that there are serious administrative
backlogs within the client services division of his department which serves
the avalon region, and if so, to explain what is proposed to address this
situation. "It is my understanding that income support clients are
experiencing difficulty contacting support workers and that serious problems
such as medical requests are not being processed in a timely manner," says
Butler. "It would be important for the minister to be aware that such
problems exist and to know if he has any plans to deal with the situation."
For the past several years, the Liberal MHA has been concerned about and
speaking out on the serious problems in this division. The former minister
has stated that the new system implemented at the time would solve these
outstanding issues. Butler says, however, it appears such significant
problems have been allowed to persist. " Given the length of time involved
here, government should have dedicated the required resources to resolve
this matter so that services are not compromised.
"I have been approached by a number of constituents to intervene on their
behalf and I am hearing reports from throughout the avalon region that there
are considerable issues. I t is important for the minister to become
involved in this situation and resolve these problems once and for all. From
all indications, there is an immediate need for additional resources to be
dedicated to servicing these clients. Furthermore, a reassessment of the
procedures being used by the department would perhaps help alleviate some of
the backlogs experienced by HRLE clients so they are better served."
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