Pat Rabbitte
Question:75 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the waiting list for social welfare appeals; and the average waiting time for a decision. [10343/99]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Appeals.
In the social welfare appeals office on 31 March 1999 there were 6,386 appeals outstanding on which work was in progress at various stages of the appeals process.
A total of 14,014 appeals were dealt with by the social welfare appeals office in 1998. The average time taken to process appeals determined during the year was 21 weeks. This average has been maintained during the first three months of 1999 despite an increase of 8 per cent in the number of appeals received as compared with the same period last year.
The average period given includes all phases of appeals including the additional time involved in the determination of appeals where, for example, further investigations have to be made or where adjournments have been sought by the appellant or by the legal representative acting on his behalf.
The social welfare appeals system is a quasi-judicial one and the procedures involved are designed to ensure that every appellant's case gets full and satisfactory consideration. There is an inevitable time lag inherent in such a process which is governed by statutory and fair procedure requirements.
In some cases appeals can be dealt with on the basis of information supplied by the appellant and the Department's deciding officer without recourse to an oral hearing and these would take less than the average time. Where an oral hearing is required, however, an additional delay is inevitable.
While processing times in the social welfare appeals office compare favourably with international experience in this area, the achievement of further improvement in these times is a major objective of the office. However, at all times it is necessary to ensure that progress in this regard is achieved in a manner that is not in conflict with or at a cost to the demands of justice and the requirement that every appeal be fully investigated and examined on all its merits.