Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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15. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the average waiting time for finalisation of cases in the SWAO; the number of applicants during each of the years between 2008 and 2012 who waited for the finalisation of their case more than three months, between six and eight months, between eight months and twelve months and twelve months or more. [18829/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average times taken to process appeals decided by summary decision is 27.1 weeks and 36.4 weeks for those requiring an oral hearing. The average processing to process appeals in the years 2008 to 2012 is given in the attached table. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They 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.

Generally the vast majority of cases fall within average processing times but extenuating factors, often outside of the control of the Social Welfare Appeals Office, will cause greater delays in some cases. By its nature and because it is a quasi-judicial nature, the processing of appeals takes time even at the best of times and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.

Table: Average Processing Time of Appeals 2008-2012