Civil servants at Enniskillen Jobs and Benefits Office have been invited to register their interest in working in Universal Credit roles.

There are currently 81 staff employed in the Queen Elizabeth Road office. 

Forty Universal Credit roles will be available.

The Department for Communities has said that “at present” it requires 41 staff to also process Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) until December 2018.

Universal credit is the new benefit which will replace Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Working Tax Credit.

It will be rolled out in Enniskillen on February 21, 2018.

Over one year ago, Enniskillen staff voiced “grave concerns” that the new benefits system will result in less work, forcing some staff to commute to other offices across Northern Ireland. However, they were given assurances that there would be no redeployments until the end of 2018.

In July, the Department for Communities’ Director of Working Age Services Maeve Walls wrote to Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to say that staff in Enniskillen “will continue to provide a front office service, playing an important role in supporting those currently claiming Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance and will provide a front-line service for Universal Credit.”

At this month's Council meeting, UUP Councillor Howard Thorton commented: "Enniskillen will retain staff on a short term basis to administer back office Job Seeker's Allowance and Benefit Cap calculations for the new welfare reform initiative . These roles will reduce from February 2018 and finish by the end of 2018.

"It is still unclear the exact number of surplus staff in Enniskillen or their fate."

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, a spokesman for the Department for Communities said that local office managers met with their staff last week “to outline the process in relation to the next tranches of recruitment for Universal Credit.”

He added: “In preparation for the introduction of Universal Credit into local areas, the Department is inviting staff in a number of local front offices, including Enniskillen, to register their interest in working in roles within the Universal Credit service.”

Asked if Enniskillen Jobs and Benefits office will continue to process Jobseeker’s Allowance until December 2018 and how many staff will be required to fulfill this role, he replied: “The current plan is that Jobseekers Allowance will continue to be processed in Enniskillen until December 2018. The back office complement required for this work at present is 41.”

Asked if there will be any surplus staff in Enniskillen once the Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance roles have been allocated, the spokesman replied: “The Department is actively considering the impact of Universal Credit on local offices staffing needs as it rolls out and will continue to keep staff involved and informed throughout this process. While it is too early to speculate on any surplus staff numbers, in the event that there are surplus staff, they would be considered in line with the Department’s redeployment principles.”