Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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100. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the slow processing of disability allowance appeals; if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36393/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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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 20 October 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 9 November 2016. The appeal was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 14 December 2016. The person concerned will be notified of the arrangements for the hearing.

Significant effort and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeals process in recent years resulting in a marked improvement in overall appeal processing times. The average time taken to determine an appeal requiring an oral hearing reduced from 52.5 weeks in 2011 to 25.5 weeks in 2015 and the average time taken to finalise an appeal decided by way of a summary decision dropped from 25.1 weeks in 2011 to 18.1 weeks in 2015. This downward trend in overall appeal processing times has continued to date in 2016 to 24.3 weeks for an oral hearing and 17.4 weeks for a summary decision.

Notwithstanding these improvements, the Chief Appeals Officer has advised me that appeal processing times will continue to be a priority for her office and will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis.

The quasi-judicial nature of the appeals system means that there are inevitable time-lags involved. However the system is designed to be flexible and fair and allows for review and submission of further information at all stages. The time taken is proportionate to the complexity of many of the issues under appeal which require a high level of judgement, and the need to ensure due process and natural justice.

I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average processing times for disability allowance appeals determined following an oral hearing is 20.3 weeks and 14.7 weeks for appeals following a summary decision.

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.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.