Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 April 2014
98. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the degree to which the waiting period for the hearing of appeals in respect of various benefits-allowances has improved; the extent to which the previous recognised habitually longer areas and causes for delay have been addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18246/14]
View answer99. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of cases in respect of carer’s allowance currently on appeal; the extent to which it is expected to reduce the waiting period in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18247/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 99 together.
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that there are 1,726 carer’s allowance appeals currently registered with that office.
The workload of the appeals office has increased dramatically in recent years. Up to 2009 the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum, whereas in 2012 the number of appeals received peaked at 35,484, reducing to 32,777 appeals in 2013. This has placed considerable pressure on the office.
Significant effort and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeals process to manage this increased workload, reduce backlogs and improve appeals processing times for appellants, while, at the same time, recognising the need to ensure that quality and fairness are not compromised. An additional 15 Appeals Officers have been assigned to the office over the past three years, in addition to 10 former Community Welfare Service Appeals Officers who joined the appeals office in 2011, bringing the total number to 41. In addition, a new operating model has been introduced in the appeals office.
These measures have achieved significant improvements. The number of appeals cases processed in 2013 increased by 18%, to over 38,400. The average processing time for appeals peaked in 2011 when the average time for an oral hearing was 52.5 weeks and for a summary decision was 25.1 weeks. In 2012 the average time for an oral hearing dropped to 39.5 weeks and the time for a summary decision increased slightly to 27.8 weeks. This overall improvement has continued in 2013 with the processing time reducing to 33.9 weeks for an oral hearing and 25.8 weeks for a summary decision.
In the case of carer’s allowance appeals, the average processing time for an oral hearing reduced from 47.3 weeks in 2010 to 33.5 weeks in 2013 while the average processing time for a summary decision increased slightly from 26.9 weeks to 27.9 weeks.
In addition to improvements in processing times, the measures which have been introduced in the appeals office have also led to a significant increase in the number of appeals finalised in recent years from 17,787 in 2009 to 38,421 in 2013. An additional 5,863 appeals were finalised in 2013 compared to 2012. Good progress also continues to be made in reducing the number of appeals on hands from 20,414 at 1 January 2013 to 13,695 at 14 April 2014.
A major programme of process redesign and modernisation is also underway in the Department in relation to many of its scheme areas aimed at reducing backlogs and reducing the time taken by the Department to respond to requests from the appeals office for submissions in relation to appeals. It is anticipated that with these improvements, the processing times for appeals will continue to improve throughout 2014.
Appeal processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation and include all activities during this period including time spent awaiting clarification from the appellant, time in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer and further investigation or medical examination, if deemed necessary.
