Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to shorten the length of time it is taking when dealing with appeals regarding social welfare payments. [25957/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the number of appeals waiting to be processed at present is 17,992 (a reduction of some 2,809 (since September 2010), of which 1,578 refer to carer's allowance.

These figures must be seen against a background where there has been a very significant increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2007 when the intake was 14,070 to 32,432 in 2010. Current indications are that, while there now appears to be a slight drop in the number of appeals being received in 2011, the annual intake is still likely to be close to 30,000 for the year.

In an effort to reduce the backlog of appeals, the Department made 9 additional appointments to the office earlier this year. These assignments augment the 3 appointments made to the Office in 2010, bringing the total number of Appeals Officers serving in the office to 29.

Some 3,000 cases, registered prior to 31/12/10, have been ring fenced and a team of 10 of the Office's most experienced Appeals Officers have been freed from all other work in the Office and will concentrate on clearing this backlog. This project commenced on July 1st.

In addition to these measures, more emphasis is now placed on dealing with appeals on a summary basis so as to increase productivity. As a result, the number of appeals dealt with by way of oral hearing was reduced from 42% for the first 6 months of 2010 to just over 30% for the same period in 2011.

As a result of the various initiatives taken, 22,226 decisions were made by Appeals Officers in the first eight months of 2011, in comparison to 17,184 for the same period in 2010.

Overall, it is expected that the increase in the number of decisions being made by Appeals Officers will continue and this, combined with the slight reduction in the numbers received should lead to on-going reductions in the backlog of appeals.