Written answers
Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Schemes
Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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406. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for details of the average social welfare appeals processing times in weeks for summary decisions and oral hearings, by scheme. [6937/23]
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.
The current* average processing times for an appeal with the Social Welfare Appeals Office are 17.4 weeks for summary decision, or 33.0 weeks for decision by way of oral hearing.
*Figures based on January 2023.
The first table below provides the average processing times by scheme for the period 1 January to 31 December 2022.
The second table provides the average processing times by scheme for the period 1 January to 31 January 2022.
Appeal Processing Times by Scheme 1 January 2022– 31 December 2022
| Average processing times (weeks)Summary Decisions | Average processing times (weeks)Oral Hearings | |
|---|---|---|
| Blind Person’s Pension | 14.0 | - |
| Back To Work Family Dividend | 11.0 | - |
| Carer's Allowance | 12.2 | 18.5 |
| Carer's Benefit | 10.4 | 17.8 |
| Carer's Support Grant | 10.5 | 19.9 |
| Child Benefit | 26.2 | 38.8 |
| Death Benefit | 4.9 | - |
| Deserted Wife’s Benefit | 14.9 | 64.2 |
| Disability Allowance | 12.1 | 21.9 |
| Disablement Pension | 19.2 | 28.8 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 19.4 | 30.4 |
| Farm Assist | 16.7 | 36.5 |
| Guardian's Payment (Contributory) | 14.5 | 12.6 |
| Guardian's Payment (Non-Con) | 13.1 | - |
| Illness Benefit | 15.4 | 18.9 |
| Incapacity Supplement | 11.8 | - |
| Insurability of Employment | 139.7 | 72.9 |
| Invalidity Pension | 14.0 | 30.9 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) | 15.1 | 28.9 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (Payments) | 12.3 | 36.2 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit | 13.4 | 23.7 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit O65 | 13.1 | 23.4 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit Self Employed | 15.8 | - |
| Jobseeker's Transitional | 12.3 | 23.2 |
| Liable Relatives | 8.9 | - |
| Maternity Benefit | 11.7 | 20.9 |
| Occupational Injury Benefit | 21.7 | - |
| One Parent Family Payment | 16.6 | 23.2 |
| Pandemic Unemployment Payment | 23.7 | - |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 12.5 | 24.1 |
| Parents Benefit | 13.2 | - |
| Paternity Benefit | 12.5 | - |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 19.3 | 60.1 |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | 22.2 | 52.5 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 16.0 | 32.7 |
| Treatment Benefit | 11.7 | - |
| Widow/Widower's Pension (Contributory) | 16.4 | 58.7 |
| Widow/Widower's Pension (Non-Contributory) | 14.3 | - |
| Widowed Parent Grant | 16.8 | - |
| Working Family Payment | 18.3 | 65.4 |
| All Appeals | 15.0 | 26.0 |
Appeal Processing Times by Scheme 1 January 2023
| Average processing times (weeks)Summary Decisions | Average processing times (weeks)Oral Hearings | |
|---|---|---|
| Carer’s Allowance | 14.7 | 14.3 |
| Carer’s Benefit | 12.2 | 10.6 |
| Carer’s Support Grant | 12.5 | 18.8 |
| Child Benefit | 28.8 | - |
| Disability Allowance | 16.6 | 21.7 |
| Disablement Pension | 22.5 | - |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 16.7 | 23.4 |
| Farm Assist | 9.5 | 18.6 |
| Guardian's Payment (Non-Con) | 21.0 | - |
| Illness Benefit | 17.1 | 37.3 |
| Insurability of Employment | 18.3 | 141.4 |
| Invalidity Pension | 29.0 | 20.7 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) | 20.3 | - |
| Jobseeker's Allowance (Payments) | 19.7 | 17.8 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit | 14.5 | - |
| Jobseeker's Benefit O65 | 31.2 | - |
| Jobseeker's Benefit Self Employed | 20.5 | - |
| Jobseeker's Transitional | 15.4 | 89.3 |
| Maternity Benefit | 11.7 | - |
| Occupational Injury Benefit | 18.5 | - |
| One Parent Family Payment | 17.7 | 62.7 |
| Pandemic Unemployment Payment | 38.9 | - |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 15.7 | - |
| Paternity Benefit | 16.6 | - |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 18.7 | - |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | 21.9 | 68.8 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 21.2 | - |
| Treatment Benefit | 14.0 | - |
| Widow/Widower's Pension (Contributory) | 29.1 | - |
| Working Family Payment | 23.0 | - |
| All Appeals | 17.4 | 33.0 |
Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeal process in recent years. As a result, average appeal processing times have generally improved between 2018 and 2022 from 30.0 weeks for an oral hearing in 2018 to 26.0 weeks in 2022, and from 24.8 weeks for a summary decision in 2018 to 15.0 weeks in 2022. The average times for all appeals finalised in 2022 was 14.9 weeks. Further improvements in appeals processing times are a priority for the Chief Appeals Officer.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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