Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of appeals officers employed by her Department; the number of these officers who have undergone any training in disability or equality issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33254/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements. The role and function of the office is to provide and deliver an independent, accessible and fair appeals service in a prompt and courteous manner. Appeals Officers are statutorily appointed by the Minister for Social Protection to act as administrative tribunals and are required to exercise their functions in a quasi-judicial manner. An Appeals Officer must decide, taking account of all of the evidence presented, including medical evidence, on the impact of a person's illness/disability; on his/her capability for work; on whether a person is substantially restricted within the meaning of the Social Welfare Acts from taking up full time employment; on whether a person requires full time care and attention; or, in the case of Domiciliary Care Allowance, on whether the child being cared for requires significantly more care than other children of the same age.

Training is provided on an on-going basis to Appeals Officers on a broad range of issues of relevance to their role. In this context, case conferences are held regularly, which allow the salient features of particular cases to be presented and discussed by Appeals Officers. In addition, Appeals Officer conferences, which are convened twice yearly, provide an opportunity to consider broader issues with a view to ensuring consistency in the manner in which appeals are determined.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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104. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of personnel who have retired from her Department and the number of additional staff employed; and the types of contracts they are on during each of the past two years. [33265/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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In the year 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, 332 staff members in the Department retired from the Civil Service. In the year 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 a further 83 staff members retired from the Department. In the year 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012, 137 staff were transferred or redeployed into the Department from other government departments and public sector organisations. In the year 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 a further 177 staff were transferred or redeployed into the Department. The contractual arrangements applying to the staff in question are the standard arrangements that apply to all other permanent civil and public servants.

The Department will continue to source staff by way of transfer and redeployment to fill critical vacancies taking account of the Employment Control Framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. As an exception to the current moratorium on recruitment, the Department has limited sanction to recruit temporary clerical officers to provide cover in respect of critical vacancies where permanent staff are on maternity leave, long term sick leave and other forms of statutory leave. Sanction was also given by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to recruit temporary clerical officers to cover for staff who avail of the Shorter Working Year Scheme and to assist with the role out of the Public Services Card project.

In the period from 1 July 2011 to date some 1,196 temporary clerical officers have been recruited. The temporary contracts are offered on a fixed term or fixed purpose basis and accordingly the length of the contracts vary depending on the specific case in question.