Skip to main content
Normal View

Carer's Allowance Delays

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2013

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Questions (417)

Sandra McLellan

Question:

417. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time it is currently taking for appeals on carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26896/13]

View answer

Written answers

I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average time taken to process carer's allowance appeals decided by summary decision is 28.4 weeks and 35.5 weeks for those requiring an oral hearing. These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They include all activities during this period including time spent awaiting any clarification from the appellant, time in the Department for comments 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. While this process carries an inherent delay in terms of finalising an appeal, it also underpins the flexibility and accessibility of the appeals system.

There has been a rapid and sustained increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2009 which has placed extraordinary pressure on the office. Up to 2009, the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum whereas in 2012, the office received 35,484 appeals. In order to manage this increasing workload, significant resources and efforts have been put into reducing backlogs and improving appeals processing times for appellants, including the assignment of 15 additional Appeals Officers, reviewing and improving business processes and implementing a new operating model within the appeals office. In addition, a major programme of process redesign and modernisation is currently underway in the Department in relation to many scheme areas, aimed at reducing backlogs and reducing the time taken for the Department to respond to requests from the SWAO for submissions in relation to appeals.

These measures have led to improvements in processing times and a significant increase in the number of appeals finalised from 17,787 in 2009 to 32,558 in 2012. The Chief Appeals Officer expects to finalise 6,000 more cases in 2013 than in 2012. It is also worth noting that, despite the increase in the volume of appeals being received, the number of appeals on hand have reduced from 20,414 at 1 January 2013 to 16,687 at 4 June 2013.

Processing times for all appeal types reduced by 10.3 weeks overall in 2012 when compared to 2011, with the time taken to finalise an appeal requiring an oral hearing down by 13 weeks and the time for an appeal decided by way of a summary decision up by 2.7 weeks. By its nature and because it is a quasi-judicial function, the processing of appeals takes time and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.

Top
Share