Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 369: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal in respect of persons (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if this will be dealt with as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3744/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 17th October 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Social Welfare Services on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question will be referred in due course to an Appeals Officer for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 370: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a mortgage interest supplement appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if this will be dealt with as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3745/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 19 October 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 06th December 2011 and the appeal will, in due course, be assigned to an Appeals Officer for consideration. As part of this consideration that Appeals Office will decide if an Oral Hearing is warranted in this case. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 371: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the mortgage interest supplement address for appeals and the telephone number as this was in Walkinstown, Dublin, but the number is no longer available; if she will outline the length of time appeals are taking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3746/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Since 1st October 2011, mortgage interest supplement appeals are dealt with by the Social Welfare Appeals Office and should be made to that office at D'Olier House, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2. The LoCall telephone number for the Office is 1890 74 74 34. There are, as yet, no figures available as to the number of weeks appeals for mortgage interest supplement are taking. However, overall, the average processing time for all appeals in 2011 was 25.1 weeks in cases dealt with by way of summary decisions and 52.5 weeks where an oral hearing was required.

These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation and include all activities during this period including time spent in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal put forward by the appellant and any further investigation, examination or assessment by the Department's Inspectors and Medical Assessors that is deemed necessary. A considerable period of time is added to the process when an oral hearing is required because of the logistics involved in this process.

I am assured by the Chief Appeals Officer that she is keeping the methods of operation by which the Social Welfare Appeals Office conducts its business under constant review, and that the processes are continuously being enhanced to reduce the backlogs in the Office and, overall, to reduce the processing times for dealing with appeals.

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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Question 372: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the delay in dealing with an appeal for invalidity pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [3834/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 8th November 2011. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Social Welfare Services on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question will be referred in due course to an Appeals Officer for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 373: To ask the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a decision on their application for disability allowance; the reason a medical assessment has not taken place; when this assessment will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3851/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The disability allowance claim of the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an assessment by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that he was medically unsuitable for the allowance. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal was registered on 06th August 2011 and in accordance with the statutory procedures the relevant department papers and the comments of the Social Welfare services on the matter raised in the appeal have been sought. In that context, he was assessed by another Medical Assessor who was also of the opinion that he was medically unsuitable for disability allowance.

The relevant Departmental papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 28th November 2011 and the appeal was assigned an Appeals Officer on 11th January 2012 who will decide whether the case can be decided on a summary basis or whether to list it for oral hearing. The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.