Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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134. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 142 of 13 February 2014, the number of appeals of decisions not to grant domiciliary care allowance lodged with the social welfare appeals office in the years 2012 and 2013; the number of these appeals allowed and partially allowed in each of those years; and the longest waiting time for a domiciliary care allowance to be decided by the social welfare appeals office during that period of time. [8736/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The details requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of domiciliary care allowance appeals registered in the Social Welfare Appeals Office during 2012 and 2013 and the number of those appeals which were allowed or partially allowed during that period are provided in the table.

With regard to the processing times for domiciliary care allowance appeals, I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that in 2012, the average processing time for a domiciliary care allowance appeal which was decided by way of a summary decision was 32.5 weeks and 41.4 weeks where the appeal was determined by means of an oral hearing. These processing times improved in 2013 to 27.6 weeks for a summary decision and 34.4 weeks for an oral hearing.

There has been a rapid and sustained increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2009 which has placed extraordinary pressure on the office. Up to 2009 the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum, whereas in 2012 the number of appeals received peaked at 35,484, reducing to 32,777 appeals in 2013.

In order to manage this increasing workload, significant resources and efforts have been put into reducing backlogs and improving appeals processing times for appellants, including the assignment of 15 additional Appeals Officers, in addition to 10 former Community Welfare Service Appeals Officers who joined the appeals office in 2011, bringing the total number of serving Appeals Officers to 41; reviewing and improving business processes; and implementing a new operating model within the appeals office. A major programme of process redesign and modernisation is also underway in the Department in relation to many of its scheme areas, aimed at reducing backlogs and reducing the time taken by the Department to respond to requests from the appeals office for submissions in relation to appeals.

In addition to the improvements in processing times mentioned above, these measures have also led to a significant increase in the number of appeals finalised in the appeals office from 17,787 in 2009 to 38,421 in 2013. An additional 5,863 appeals were finalised in 2013 compared to 2012. Good progress has also been made in reducing the number of appeals on hands from 20,414 at 1 January 2013 to 14,510 at 17 February 2014.

Appeal 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 awaiting any clarification from the appellant, time 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. While this process carries an inherent delay in terms of finalising an appeal, it also crystallises the flexibility and accessibility of the appeals system.

By its nature and because it is a quasi-judicial function, the processing of appeals takes time and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.

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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.

Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals 2012 and 2013