Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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1235.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average and median length of time for a disability allowance appeal decision to be made at the Social Welfare Appeals Office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30987/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.

Based on records from 2023the processing time information for Disability Allowance is as follows:

Average Processing Time= 16.1 weeks

Median Length of Time= 14.3 weeks

The Chief Appeals Officer continues to monitor processing times and every effort is made to reduce the time taken to process an appeal. However, the drive for efficiency must be balanced with the competing demand to ensure that decisions are consistent and of high quality and made in accordance with the legislative provisions and the general principles of fair procedures and natural justice.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.