Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 May 2013
126. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form the current waiting times per social welfare payment for the processing of appeals by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21014/13]
View answerThe current average processing times for appeals of social welfare payments are set out in the following table.
These processing times are calculated from the registration date of an appeal to the date of its finalisation. They include all activities during this period, including time spent in the Department for comment by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal put forward by the appellant, and any further investigation, examination or assessment by the Department’s Inspectors and Medical Assessors that is deemed necessary. A considerable period of time is added to the process when an oral hearing is required because of the logistics involved in this process. Generally the vast majority of cases fall within average processing times but extenuating factors, which are often outside of the control of the Social Welfare Appeals Office, can cause greater delays in some cases.
Processing times of all appeal types reduced by 10.3 weeks overall in 2012 with respect to 2011, with time for an oral hearing time down by 13 weeks and the time for summary decision up by 2.7 weeks.
Because of its quasi-judicial nature, the processing of appeals takes time and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.
Table: Appeals processing times by scheme January - March 2013 – Summary and Oral
|
Scheme |
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
Blind Pension |
26.5 |
- |
|
Carers Allowance |
30.7 |
39.5 |
|
Carers Benefit |
26.0 |
29.0 |
|
Child Benefit |
31.0 |
47.4 |
|
Disability Allowance |
37.3 |
42.7 |
|
Illness Benefit |
42.1 |
48.1 |
|
Domiciliary Care |
31.9 |
39.2 |
|
Deserted Wives Benefit |
34.0 |
38.6 |
|
Farm Assist |
23.2 |
31.5 |
|
Bereavement Grant |
32.8 |
- |
|
Family Income Supplement |
29.4 |
44.0 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
34.0 |
46.5 |
|
Liable Relatives |
32.8 |
42.9 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
32.7 |
38.8 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
30.8 |
51.4 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit |
20.7 |
- |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
25.6 |
34.3 |
|
State Pension (Non-Cont) |
31.9 |
45.9 |
|
State Pension (Transition) |
21.7 |
39.6 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
39.9 |
59.4 |
|
Disablement Pension |
35.5 |
39.7 |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
- |
42.1 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Con) |
20.0 |
36.1 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-con) |
45.5 |
46.6 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
22.0 |
33.8 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
21.5 |
28.5 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
23.7 |
31.8 |
|
UAUBFC |
- |
14.2 |
|
Respite Care Grant |
26.8 |
32.4 |
|
Insurability of Employment |
23.1 |
59.4 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
16.8 |
28.0 |
|
Treatment Benefits |
32.0 |
- |
|
Survivor's Pension (Con) |
30.8 |
40.6 |
|
Survivor's Pension (Non-Con) |
37.5 |
41.4 |
|
Widows Parent Grant |
34.2 |
- |
|
All Appeals |
28.2 |
38.6 |
