Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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786. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason social welfare appeal decisions are taking up to 18 months in some cases; the number of applicants currently awaiting a decision; and the interim supports available to those left without income while awaiting an appeal outcome. [48785/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The average processing times for appeals at the end of Quarter 2, 2025 was 21.9 weeks. The Chief Appeals Officer, at the end of last year put in place measures to deal with the increase in appeals received during 2024, including assigning an additional 20 Appeals Officers to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

In addition, new Social Welfare Appeals Regulations (S.I. No. 744 of 2024) came into effect on 28 April 2025. The purpose of these regulations is to modernise and streamline the social welfare appeals process, providing greater clarity, improved consistency, and more defined timeframes. It is expected that this will reduce the number of appeals on hand and the length of time it takes for appeals to be processed and decided.

To date in 2025 the Social Welfare Appeals Office has received over 28,000 appeals. 37,000 appeals have been finalised. As of 14th September 2025 13,589 appellants are awaiting a decision.

Ensuring that appeal processing times are as short as possible is a priority for the Chief Appeals Officer. However, the desire to process appeals quickly 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.

If appellants have insufficient means to meet their needs they may contact the relevant Community Welfare Service for further information on schemes and services that may be available to them.

Appeals where customers may not have recourse to Supplementary Welfare Allowance and are particularly vulnerable are currently being prioritised.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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787. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average processing time for social welfare appeals in 2023 and 2024, in weeks, by scheme; and the way in which these compare with his Department’s stated service standards. [48787/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the average processing time for appeals during 2024 was 23.5 weeks. The average processing time during 2023 was 16 weeks.

The breakdown of processing times for each social welfare scheme for 2023 are available in the published 2023 Annual Report. The breakdown of processing times for each social welfare scheme for 2024 will be available in the Social Welfare Appeals Office Annual Report which is due to be published shortly.

The Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to improve appeals processing performance. 20 additional Appeals Officers were assigned over the period at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. They are now processing appeals. In addition, new Appeals Regulations have come into effect from the 28th of April 2025 which provide, among other things, for simpler processes and specified response times. These should further help to reduce processing times.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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788. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures being taken to strengthen the independence and transparency of the social welfare appeals office; if the recommendations made by an organisation (details supplied) regarding structural reform have been considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48788/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office is committed to providing an independent, accessible and fair appeals service in a prompt and courteous manner. Social Welfare Appeals Officers are appointed to determine appeals and be independent in their decision-making. This means they must decide each case based on social welfare legislation and the individual facts before them.

The current statutory model aims to strike the right balance between independence and efficiency. In recent years, a modernisation project and the introduction of new appeals regulations have directly influenced reforms to provide greater transparency, independence and accessibility. These include the introduction of an online application channel and the central registration of all appeals in the Social Welfare Appeals Office. The MyWelfare system allows the customer to track their appeal in real-time and provides much greater ease of access to submit documentation or additional evidence.

The Chief Appeals Officer publishes an annual report each year separate to the Department of Social Protection's Annual Report, which outlines the activities of Social Welfare Appeals Office. This report provides detailed data on decisions, outcomes, and processing times. In 2024, there were 28,702 appeals finalised, over 47% of those had a favourable outcome for the appellant in that they were either allowed in full or in part by an Appeals Officer or resolved by way of a revised decision by a Deciding Officer or Designated Person in favour of the appellant.

The Chief Appeals Officer is committed to publishing more accessible data, and to continuing constructive engagement with stakeholders to ensure that appellants have confidence in the fairness, independence, and integrity of the system.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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789. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if improvements are planned to reduce delays in transferring files and in decision-making; the status of plans to digitise the appeals process; and if priority processing will be introduced for urgent or hardship cases. [48789/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming and streamlining the appeals process in recent years.

An Appeals Modernisation Project to develop and implement new business processes was completed in Q 1 2025. The purpose of the project was to streamline and enhance the end-to-end appeals process for the customer, the Social Welfare Appeals Office and business areas across the Department. The project has significantly reduced the use of paper in the appeals process and provides greater transparency and accessibility.

A customer can now make their appeal online through MyWelfare. This change supports the end-to-end electronic processing of appeals. It provides a secure, comprehensive, online appeals service for customers. It also improves the customer experience by facilitating 24/7 access to lodge an appeal, upload additional supporting documentation or view current appeal status. It has reduced the administrative overhead of validating and registering appeals.

Additionally, there is active engagement between the Appeals Office and business areas across the Department to ensure that the appeals process operates efficiently. New regulations which came into effect from the 28th of April this year provide that where the Deciding Officer's decision is not revised in favour of the appellant, that the appeal file papers are provided electronically through this new system within specified time limits for consideration by an Appeals Officer.

Appeals where customers may not have recourse to Supplementary Welfare Allowance, or are particularly vulnerable are currently being prioritised.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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790. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the provisions in place to ensure that appellants have access to legal or advocacy support during social welfare appeals; if he will consider introducing free legal aid for complex appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48790/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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There are a number of existing services that provide appellants with appropriate information and support during the Social Welfare Appeals process.

My Department has a network of 120 Intreo centres and branch offices throughout the country which are open to customers five days per week during business hours. Customers can also contact any of the Department’s scheme areas by phone at: 01 7043000 or at the direct numbers available at www.gov.ie/dspphonenumbers to discuss their entitlements.

The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body, under the aegis of my Department, that is responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. While CIB provides some services directly, it also funds a number of companies to deliver services, including the Citizens Information Service (CIS).

The Citizens Information Service (CIS), in turn, comprises of eight regional companies that are funded by CIB. The CIS through it’s national network of Citizens Information Centres (CICs), provides essential information, advice and advocacy services to the public on a wide range of issues including assistance with Social Welfare Appeals. Information on each CIC is available on the Citizens Information website (www.citizensinformation.ie/en/). In addition, the Citizens Information Phone Service can be contacted by phone on 0818 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm for information advice and advocacy.

In a situation where an appellant is accompanied to an oral hearing by a representative, such as a solicitor, an Appeals Officer may make an award of expenses to the representative. However, this award is limited to expenses incurred in actually attending the hearing itself.

While appeals may need to consider the complex aspects of people’s lives, the process itself is designed to allow for self-representation. Recent changes implemented through the appeals modernisation project and the commencement of new appeals regulations further improve the transparency, accessibility and ease of use of the appeals system.