Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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799. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the median and mean time to process carer's allowance reviews and appeals in each of the years 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23746/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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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.

The Department calculates waiting times for appeals measuring the time from when the appeal was registered to the latest decision on the appeal which can include a revised decision by the scheme area or the date on which an appeal is withdrawn by the appellant. The average time in weeks to process appeals for Carer's Allowance for the 1st Quarter of 2025 and for the year 2024 are set out below.

The Annual Report of the Chief Appeals Officer is published each year and includes the processing times across each scheme to a detailed level. The reports for years 2015 to 2023 are available on the Social Welfare Appeals Office website (www.gov.ie/en/social-welfare-appeals-office/collections/news-and-publications-from-the-social-welfare-appeals-office/#annual-reports) and set out the processing times for Carer’s Allowance appeals.

The Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to improve appeals processing performance. 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 decisions on appeals. In addition new Appeals Regulations have been signed to come into effect from the 28th of April 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.