Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 324: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the breakdown of the number of appeals being processed in relation to social welfare benefits; the number of appeals for each benefit; and the average timescale for the completion of an appeal. [12153/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The number of appeals on which work was in progress at 31 March 2005 was 5,207. A breakdown of these cases, by appeal category, is set out in the following appendix.

Over the past four years the number of appeals on hand has been reduced by a third. During 2004 some 14,083 appeals were registered and of these only 2,302, 16%, remain to be finalised.

The average processing time for appeals closed in 2004 was 20 weeks and 90% of cases were finalised within 15 weeks. This covers all phases of appeals, including, where appropriate, examination by medical assessors of the Department, and oral hearings which are now afforded in approximately 70% of the cases determined by appeals officers.

Some appeals will always take a particularly long time to process, generally for reasons which are outside the control of the appeals office. For example, delays can occur if the appellant furnishes new evidence which requires investigation at a late stage in the proceedings or where adjournments are sought by the appellant and his or her representative.

The social welfare appeals system is judicial in nature and the procedures involved are designed to ensure that every appellant's case gets full and satisfactory consideration. While the achievement of further improvement in processing times is a major objective of the office, at all times it is necessary that progress in this regard is achieved in a manner which ensures that every appeal is fully investigated and examined on all its merits.