Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Independent)
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324. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of applications for invalidity pension received in her Department in 2009-2013, inclusive; the number of these applications that were refused; the number of these refusals that were subject to an appeal; the number of these appeals that were successful; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5155/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Invalidity Pension claim intake has increased substantially from 2011. This resulted in initial claim processing backlogs which my Department have cleared over the last two years. An outcome of this level is claim clearance is the resulting higher than normal volume of reviews and appeals which have and are been processed by the Department.

The Table 1 below shows the number of claims received, awarded and disallowed in the period requested. Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify, of the number awarded, how many were awarded in the first instance and how many were awarded following deciding officer review or appeal. Table 2 shows the data in respect of appeals received and decided in the same period, as reported by the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

Table 1. Invalidity Pension Claims Processed 2009 to 2013