Written answers
Thursday, 27 February 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Appeals
Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
141. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average current waiting time for a social welfare appeal in the State; how waiting times for a decision vary across different payments; whether waiting times have increased over the past 12 months; what action he is taking to reduce the time it takes to process an appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8579/25]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
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.
As of the 31st of January 2025, the current processing times for social welfare appeals is 19.4 weeks.
The average processing time for an appeal in 2024 was 23.5 weeks. The table below shows a breakdown of average processing times for the period 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024 on a number of departmental schemes.
| - | Average processing times (weeks) |
|---|---|
| Back To Work Family Dividend | 19.8 |
| Carer’s Allowance | 16.9 |
| Carer’s Benefit | 13.6 |
| Child Benefit | 25.4 |
| Disability Allowance | 16.0 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 22.7 |
| Illness Benefit | 25.9 |
| Invalidity Pension | 14.8 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance | 32.8 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit | 21.0 |
| Maternity Benefit | 14.5 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 34.7 |
| Paternity Benefit | 9.5 |
| Supplementary Welfare allowance | 15.6 |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | 30.9 |
The time taken to process appeals reflects the need to consider each decision in detail and, in many cases, to examine additional information submitted at appeal stage, including in some cases requesting further information either via correspondence or via oral hearing. 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 made in accordance with the provisions set out in primary legislation and regulations.
The Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to deal with the increase in appeals received during 2024. 20 additional staff were assigned and attended training during December 2024 and January 2025. They have now been appointed as Appeals Officers and are making appeal decisions. In addition new Appeals Regulations have been signed to come into effect from April this year which provide, among other things, for simpler processes and specified response times. These should further help to reduce processing times.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
No comments