Vol. 537 No. 1
39 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of appeal officers and deciding officers in 1991 and in 2001 dealing with disability appeals, lone parents and child benefit appeals. [15311/01]
51 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason for the delay in dealing with appeals on child benefit and disability benefit. [15312/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 51 together.
Currently, there are almost 300 deciding officers working in the sections of my Department dealing with disability benefit, child benefit and one parent family payments. A corresponding figure for 1991 is not available. Over that period, there have been major changes to the underlying conditions attached to the schemes, significant increases in the volume of claims received and changes in work practices and procedures. The staffing needs of the sections concerned are continually monitored in the context of such changing circumstances.
The number of appeals officers serving in the social welfare appeals office at 31 December 1991 was 13. There were 16 appeals officers at the end of 2000. These appeals officers deal with all types of social welfare appeals, including the schemes referred. The number of appeals officers is kept under review having regard to the work arising in the office. Over the past years the number of appeals has been increasing – 17,650 appeals were received last year – and the staffing complement of the office is under consideration at present in that regard.
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 in such a process which is governed by statutory and fair procedure requirements.
In the case of disability benefit appeals, for example, a second medical examination is normally undertaken by a medical assessor of my Department in the context of the appeal and, if this is favourable to the appellant, benefit is immediately restored without the need for recourse to the appeals officer.
The average time taken to process all appeals closed during the year 2000 was just under 21 weeks. This average period 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.
