I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal was registered on 29th January 2019 and, in accordance with the statutory requirements, the Appeals Office has contacted the person concerned and asked them to set out the complete grounds of the appeal. On receipt of this response the relevant departmental papers will be requested from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the appeal will then be referred in due course to an Appeals Officer for consideration.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.