Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2004
286 Mr. O’Dowd asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number and category of appeals made to the superintendent community welfare officer in each county in the North Eastern Health Board area in the past five years; the numbers granted and refused and subsequently appealed to the chief appeals officer in the North Eastern Health Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29737/04]
View answerThe supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by health boards on behalf of my Department. Within each board, the scheme is administered by a superintendent and community welfare officers. The role of the superintendent community welfare officer relates to the determination and review of claims and to the supervision of community welfare officers. Superintendent community welfare officers have no formal role in a health board's appeals process for this scheme. In instances where a person is dissatisfied with the outcome of his or her application for supplementary welfare allowance, he or she has the right to appeal the decision to the health board's appeals officer, usually a senior manager within the health board. With the exception of decisions relating to exceptional needs payments, which are issued at the discretion of each health board, a further appeal may be made to the chief appeals officer of the social welfare appeals office if the appellant is not satisfied with the outcome of their appeal to the health board's appeals office.
Statistics are not available in any health board area on the number or type of cases referred to individual superintendent community welfare officers for guidance and decision. Details of the number of supplementary welfare allowance appeals dealt with by the appeals officer in the North Eastern Health Board from 1999 to the end of September 2004 are set out in the following tables. Supplementary Welfare Allowance appeals in North Eastern Health Board 1999 to end September 2004. Breakdown by category is not available in respect of 1999 and 2000.
|
Granted |
Refused |
Total |
|
|
1999 |
11 |
62 |
73 |
|
2000 |
9 |
90 |
99 |
|
Granted |
Refused |
Total |
|
|
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance |
0 |
38 |
38 |
|
Rent Supplement |
3 |
18 |
21 |
|
Mortgage Interest Supplement |
0 |
14 |
14 |
|
Basic SWA |
2 |
11 |
13 |
|
Exceptional / urgent needs payments |
3 |
21 |
24 |
|
Diet Supplement |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Total |
9 |
104 |
113 |
|
Granted |
Refused |
Total |
|
|
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance |
7 |
29 |
36 |
|
Rent Supplement |
2 |
18 |
20 |
|
Mortgage Interest Supplement |
0 |
7 |
7 |
|
Basic SWA |
1 |
5 |
6 |
|
Exceptional / urgent needs payments |
1 |
15 |
16 |
|
Diet Supplement |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Total |
12 |
82 |
94 |
|
Granted |
Refused |
Total |
|
|
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance |
8 |
33 |
41 |
|
Rent Supplement |
4 |
29 |
33 |
|
Mortgage Interest Supplement |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Basic SWA |
0 |
17 |
17 |
|
Exceptional / urgent needs payments |
1 |
7 |
8 |
|
Diet Supplement |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Total |
14 |
91 |
105 |
