Written answers
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Department of Social Protection
Social Welfare Appeals Waiting Times
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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109. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which her Department continues to monitor the time taken to process appeals for various means tested payments or claims based on a medical entitlement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24226/14]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The processing times for appeals, which I will make available to the house, are kept under review in the Social Welfare Appeals Office and I am kept apprised of the situation by the Chief Appeals Officer. I am satisfied that significant progress has been made in addressing the Appeals backlog. The average processing time for appeals peaked in 2011 when the average time for an oral hearing was 52.5 weeks and for a summary decision was 25.1 weeks. In 2012 the average processing time for an oral hearing dropped to 39.5 weeks and the time for a summary decision increased slightly to 27.8 weeks. Further improvements were achieved in 2013, when the average appeal processing time reduced to 33.9 weeks for an oral hearing and 25.8 weeks for a summary decision, and to date in 2014. As at 31 May 2014, the time take to process an appeal requiring an oral hearing reduced to 29.9 weeks and 22.5 weeks for a summary decision. The table provides a breakdown by scheme of appeal processing times for all scheme types for 2012, 2013 and to the end of May 2014.
Appeals processing times by scheme
Scheme | Total weeks 2012 | Total weeks 2013 | Total weeks (1st January to 31 May 2014) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adoptive Benefit | 51.2 | 34.2 | 25.2 |
| Blind Pension | 26.5 | 15.8 | 31.3 |
| Carers Allowance | 33.8 | 28.5 | 20.8 |
| Carers Benefit | 24.0 | 18.7 | 24.1 |
| Child Benefit | 52.4 | 33.1 | 24.2 |
| Disability Allowance | 33.3 | 31.0 | 25.9 |
| Illness Benefit | 39.2 | 40.7 | 47.7 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 32.2 | 38.1 | 22.3 |
| Deserted Wives Benefit | 49.4 | 25.7 | 64.7 |
| Deserted Wives Allowance | 32.0 | 62.2 | 41.8 |
| Farm Assist | 31.1 | 9.6 | 29.4 |
| Bereavement Grant | 24.2 | 26.6 | 13.3 |
| Family Income Supplement | 23.5 | 20.7 | 27.4 |
| Invalidity Pension | 37.1 | 28.8 | 30.5 |
| Liable Relatives | 56.2 | 39.3 | 18.1 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 36.3 | 45.8 | 36.5 |
| Maternity Benefit | 32.8 | 33.4 | 24.7 |
| State Pension (Con) | 48.9 | 28.9 | 31.6 |
| State Pension (Non-Con) | 37.9 | 35.1 | 28.3 |
| State Pension (Transition) | 35.3 | 29.9 | 52.5 |
| Occupational Injury Benefit | 36.5 | 28.3 | 52.9 |
| Occupational Injury Benefit (Medical) | 103.5 | 35.0 | 44.1 |
| Disablement Pension | 39.4 | 155.9 | 29.8 |
| Incapacity Supplement | 45.2 | 41.0 | 28.6 |
| Guardian's Payment (Con) | 37.1 | 64.9 | 20.5 |
| Guardian's Payment (Non-Con) | 39.2 | 27.5 | 19.6 |
| Pre-Retirement Allowance | 54.6 | 37.3 | 28.2 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) | 42.0 | - | 22.6 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance | 36.3 | 26.5 | 5.3 |
| JA/JB Fraud Control (2 cases) | 126.1 | 22.8 | 24.6 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit | 36.4 | 27.0 | 19.8 |
| Respite Care Grant | 28.0 | 24.6 | 61.8 |
| Insurability of Employment | 68.0 | 56.5 | 4.6 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 18.1 | 20.7 | 20.0 |
| Treatment Benefits | 24.3 | 27.7 | 20.8 |
| Survivor's Pension (Con) | 32.9 | 22.7 | 36.0 |
| Survivor's Pension (Non-con) | 26.0 | 43.1 | 34.1 |
| Widows Parent Grant | 23.2 | 26.3 | 22.6 |
| All Appeals | 33.1 | 29.0 | 25.1 |
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