Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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134. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons waiting on an oral appeal hearing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18527/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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. When an appeal is assigned to an Appeals Officer for consideration the Appeals Officer makes a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, holds an oral hearing. The holding of an oral hearing is at the discretion of the Appeals Officer.

Oral hearings have been successfully conducted online or by telephone since October 2020 and these types of hearings will continue. This remote hearing approach has proven to be an effective way, during the pandemic, of facilitating an oral hearing previously achieved through the holding of an in-person hearing.

During this period, Appeals Officers have also made greater use of telephone contact and correspondence to gather additional information or seek clarification which might otherwise have been ascertained in the course of an oral hearing. This has reduced the need to conduct oral hearings.

It is not possible to state how many appeal cases may require an oral hearing at any one time. However, for those appeals where it is identified that an oral hearing is required, a hearing can generally be arranged within approximately two weeks. The position in relation to the conducting of oral hearings is being kept under review by the Chief Appeals Officer.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.