I propose to takes Questions Nos. 341 and 342 together.
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, SWA, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive, HSE. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims or in the role of the executive's appeals process.
Where a person is dissatisfied with the outcome of an application for SWA he or she may appeal against the decision to the appeals officer in the relevant HSE area and if necessary then to the chief appeals officer of the social welfare appeals office.
The timescale for completing an appeal from the date of receipt to the communication of a determination is dependent, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as details of the applicant's income, bank statements, information from landlords etc. The person who originally made the decision may be asked to review the case in the light of any additional information supplied in relation to the appeal.
The HSE has advised that the total number of SWA appeals for 2005 was 6,305. It has further advised that, in general, the period for the completion of the SWA appeals process in the HSE is 21 to 28 days, however, cases of greater complexity require a longer period. The HSE was unable to provide statistics for each Health Service Executive area on the length of delays in deciding appeals.