Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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589. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding increasing staff in the social welfare appeals office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1670/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department, like all Government departments and agencies, is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget.

The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new demands across a wide range of services. This is to ensure that the best use is made of available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department. In this regard, an additional 7 Appeals Officers have been assigned to the Appeals Office since 2018. At the end of December 2020 there were a total of 85 (81.95 FTE) staff assigned to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. The figure for full time equivalents (FTE) takes account of staff that avail of work-share options.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.