The total number of persons in receipt of Supplementary Welfare Allowance on 1 November 2012 was 33,090. I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the number of appeals on hands for each scheme on 1st November 2012, along with the average processing time for each scheme for cases dealt with on a summary basis and by oral hearing is as set out in table 1. The number of Supplementary Welfare Allowance appeals not finalised on that date was 2,226. The total number of applications pending on each of the Department’s schemes on 1 November 2012 is detailed in Table 2.
Table 1: Appeals on hand and processing times
Scheme
|
No. on hand at 1st November 2012
|
Average processing time (weeks) at 1st November 2012
Summary Decisions
|
Average processing time (weeks) at 1st November 2012
Oral Hearings
|
Adoptive Benefit
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Bereavement Grant
|
47
|
28.5
|
-
|
Blind Pension
|
12
|
18.2
|
-
|
Carers Allowance
|
1,582
|
33.4
|
40.7
|
Carers Benefit
|
80
|
26.4
|
30.9
|
Child Benefit
|
426
|
34.3
|
54.9
|
Disability Allowance
|
4,016
|
33.6
|
40.0
|
Domiciliary Care
|
1,178
|
32.6
|
40.1
|
Deserted Wives Benefit
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
Deserted Wives Allowance
|
0
|
-
|
-
|
Farm Assist
|
151
|
13.7
|
67.2
|
Family Income Supplement
|
147
|
20.4
|
24.7
|
Homemakers
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Illness Benefit
|
1,524
|
41.1
|
50.7
|
Invalidity Pension
|
4,211
|
38.0
|
46.6
|
Liable Relatives
|
44
|
32.2
|
-
|
Lone Parent
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
One Parent Family Payment
|
641
|
27.3
|
45.0
|
Maternity Benefit
|
19
|
-
|
-
|
State Pension (Contributory)
|
98
|
36.5
|
45.0
|
State Pension (Non-Cont)
|
141
|
25.8
|
42.4
|
State Pension (Transition)
|
30
|
47.9
|
33.8
|
Occupational Injury Benefit
|
33
|
32.2
|
82.4
|
Disablement Pension - OIBDIS
|
251
|
28.4
|
39.0
|
Incapacity Supplement
|
22
|
-
|
28.1
|
Guardian's Payment (Con)
|
21
|
21.7
|
41.3
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-con)
|
9
|
31.8
|
29.8
|
Pre-Retirement Allowance
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Partial Capacity Benefit
|
41
|
-
|
-
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means)
|
1,636
|
24.8
|
31.4
|
Jobseeker's Allowance
|
1,413
|
26.7
|
31.6
|
Jobseeker's Benefit
|
622
|
25.7
|
27.2
|
JA/JB Fraud Control
|
4
|
-
|
-
|
Respite Care Grant
|
135
|
26.7
|
33.0
|
Insurability of Employment
|
81
|
-
|
101.7
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance
|
2,226
|
19.2
|
25.1
|
Treatment Benefits
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
Survivor's Pension (Con)
|
19
|
-
|
-
|
Survivor's Pension (Non-con)
|
25
|
26.4
|
27.3
|
Widows Parent Grant
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
Table 2. Applications pending on Department of Social Protection schemes
SCHEME
|
CLAIMS PENDING 31/10/2012
|
AVERAGE WAITING TIME IN WEEKS
|
Jobseeker's Benefit
|
7,689
|
2
|
Jobseeker's Allowance
|
23,048
|
4
|
One-Parent Family Payment
|
3,668
|
16
|
State Pension Contributory (Dom)
|
1,901
|
7
|
State Pension Transition (Dom)
|
1,457
|
5
|
Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension
|
308
|
2
|
State Pension Non-Contributory
|
1,561
|
13
|
Widow (ers) Non Contributory Pension
|
72
|
10
|
Household Benefits
|
3,470
|
3
|
Free Travel
|
63
|
1
|
Bereavement Grant
|
1,026
|
1
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance
|
344
|
5
|
SWA
|
5,346
|
1
|
Child Benefit (Domestic & FRA)
|
1,678
|
5
|
Child Benefit (EU Regulation)
|
2,098
|
35
|
Maternity Benefit
|
4,335
|
2
|
Family Income Supplement (New)
|
7,639
|
16
|
Family Income Supplement (Renew)
|
7,693
|
18
|
Carer's Allowance
|
9,517
|
23
|
Carer's Benefit
|
329
|
N/A
|
Disability Allowance
|
7338
|
N/A
|
Disablement
|
1,780
|
N/A
|
Invalidity Pension
|
4,561
|
40
|
Bereavement Grant
|
478
|
2
|
Illness Benefit
|
3,065
|
1
|
Interim Illness Benefit (OIB)
|
495
|
N/A
|
Respite Care Grant
|
730
|
N/A
|
One-Parent Family Payment - HQ
|
3889
|
15
|