394,400 callers were assisted by the Citizens Information Services in 2022 — an increase of 16.7% on the 2021 numbers. These callers had over 788,900 queries, an increase of 13.7% on 2021 query levels.

The average number of callers a month for 2022 was 32,867, up from the average of 28,181 in 2021. September had the highest number of callers (40,650), similar to the previous year.

The number of callers from outside the EU increased to 13.4%, up from 8.8% (17,952) in 2021. The war in Ukraine accounts for the increased number of non-EU callers to CISs in 2022.

Country of Origin was recorded for 63% of callers (247,520) in 2022. 21% of these callers (52,316) had countries of origin outside Ireland. Callers from Ireland accounted for 79% of all callers (195,204). Callers from Ukraine (8,346) and Poland (8,158) were the next highest. In all, callers to CISs came from 189 different countries.

788,902 queries came from the public in 2022 — an increase of 13.7% in queries compared to 2021. When the public contact CISs they often have more than one query; there was a ratio of 2.00 queries per caller in 2022, down from 2.05 in 2021.

Social Welfare Queries

Social Welfare queries rose overall by 23.6% in 2022. Extra Social Welfare Benefits increased by 87% on the query numbers from 2021. Fuel Allowance queries increased by 47% to almost 33,000.

Household Benefits Package (free electricity, gas) queries rose 57% from 12,375 queries in 2021 to 19,444 in 2022.

There was a noticeable increase in queries relating to Supplementary Welfare Schemes, the ‘safety net’ supports — with a rise of 59.6% in demand for information. Additional needs payments enquiries doubled, reflecting cost-of-living concerns.

Queries relating to Disability and Illness rose 13% on the 2021 numbers. Disability Allowance queries increased 17% to 24,741, and those related to Invalidity Pension rose by 18% to 11,373.

Queries related to Carer's payments increased 18% over the last year. Carer's Allowance rose by 14.7% (25,241) and Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) grew by 26.7% (4,166).

Family and Children — Child Benefit queries increased by 37.8% since 2021 and Working Family Payment increased by 10%.

Housing Queries

Housing queries rose by 22.5% to over 75,000 queries. Queries about Local Authority and Social Housing represented over half of housing queries and grew by 15.5%. Queries relating to Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) remained high at 11,552 queries, consistent with 2021, and represent 29.4% of the Local Authority and Housing queries.

Renting a Home (Private Rental Accommodation) queries rose 16.8%, and those about Notice/Eviction/Disputes increased by 28.6%. The combined query numbers for social and rented housing highlight the ongoing impact of the housing crisis on the public.

Queries related to Housing Grants and Schemes increased by 34.6% from 8,549 queries in 2021 to 11,507 queries in 2022. Concerns about Homelessness rose from 2,055 queries in 2021 to 3,157.

Health Queries

The number of queries regarding Medical Cards grew 43% from 2021 to 2022 (36,438 queries).

Other Queries

There was a fall of 16.3% in the number of callers with Employment related queries in 2022. Fewer people looked for information and assistance regarding Leave and Holidays, which decreased by 39.1% in 2022, and Contracts of Employment, which dropped by 21.5%.

Queries relating to Moving Country grew by 73.5%, due to the increase in queries from Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. Services assisted over 8,000 Ukrainians in relation to social welfare, healthcare eligibility, and accommodation needs.

29% of all queries in 2022 were related to the Top 10 entitlements.

Quarterly reports for 2022 can be accessed on the CIS Data Hub.

The document below contains the five highest query categories — Social Welfare, Housing, Health, Employment and Moving Country — and shows the number of queries relating to the various schemes, payments and entitlements in each sub-category in 2022.

Query Categories 2022 (Word document)
Query Categories 2022 (PDF)