Mary Hanafin told the Dáil that there are 'unacceptable delays' in some offices in dealing with requests for jobseekers allowance and jobseekers benefit.
The Minister said such a delay can be difficult for those making the request.
She was responding to a question from Fine Gael TD Olwyn Enright who said such delays are putting families in a 'poverty trap'.
Ms Enright said the number of people unemployed is the highest in a decade, and asked with 60,000 expected to join the live register next year, how the current system would cope.
