Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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149. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of claims for various payments suspended and on appeal or otherwise recorded in the past 12 months; the number of appeals that have taken place; the number pending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22598/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The table provides the details which have been requested by the Deputy in respect of appeals in the past twelve months in so far as they are available.

The table provides a breakdown by scheme area of the number of appeals registered and determined during the past twelve months, i.e. during the period from 1 May 2016 to 30 April 2017, along with a breakdown by scheme of the number of appeals which were outstanding at 30 April 2017.

I understand from the Chief Appeals Officer that it is not possible to provide a breakdown between the number of appeals registered with her office which relate to new claims which were disallowed as opposed to the number of appeals relating to existing claims which were in payment and which were subsequently disallowed as this information is not captured or maintained on the appeals computer system.

I am also advised that it is not possible to provide details of the number of people whose claims were in payment and were then disallowed and who did not appeal. However, I can advise the Deputy that my Department processes around 2 million new claims each year. About 85% of these are successful, i.e. the customer receives the relevant payment. By comparison, 22,461 appeals were made to the Social Welfare Appeals Office last year and 23,220 appeals were finalised.

Table: Appeals Registered and Finalised May 2016 – April 2017 and Appeals outstanding at 30 April, 2017.