Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the length of time taken to decide appeals cases; her plans to address the problem in view of the hardship that persons are experiencing due to the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46358/09]

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a decision will issue on an appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare in view of the hardship they are enduring due to the length of time taken for the appeal to be decided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46359/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 and 196 together.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, following receipt of the relevant Departmental papers including comments on the grounds of appeal, the appeal from the person concerned has been referred to an Appeals Officer for consideration.

I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that during 2008 the average time taken to process all appeals (i.e. those decided summarily and by way of oral hearing) was 22 weeks. However, if allowance was made for the 25% most protracted cases, the average time fell to just over 14 weeks. These processing times replicate those for 2007 notwithstanding the fact that there was an increase of 27% in the number of appeals received during 2008. Although, there are no figures for the processing times to date in 2009, there has been an increase of a further 45% in the number of appeals received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office to the end of November 2009 and I am very concerned about the likely effect of these increases on processing times.

The Chief Appeals Officer is keeping current processes under continuous review with a view to achieving a more effective throughput of appeals having regard to due process in terms of the rights of appellants and adherence to the requirements of natural justice. The matter of assigning additional Appeals Officers is also kept under constant review but any consideration of extra assignments must be taken in the context of overall government policy on civil service numbers.