Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)

I have tabled parliamentary questions in the past, and I have always said that in terms of dealing with day-to-day stuff from TDs, the Department of Social Protection is probably one of the most efficient Departments and I want to put this on the record. Nonetheless, I have asked this parliamentary question on a number of occasions, as have a number of other Deputies in the past while. The Minister's answer is similar to previous responses about the 20 additional appeals officers put in place.

Are they 20 permanent staff who have been reassigned or is that just temporary? If it is temporary, when does that reassignment cease? It is inevitable that there will be waiting times and backlogs but is there any kind of prediction as to when we will get back within that 12-week period? I know I can cherry-pick certain welfare appeal processes, but the one that always sticks with me is the supplementary welfare allowance. That can take in excess of a year. I am particularly interested in hearing whether there has been a reduction in the waiting time for that.

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