Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020
507. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average waiting times for various appeals in respect of schemes or payments run by her Department; her plans to reduce such waiting times thereby easing the stress on families; her plans to introduce online appeal hearings to help deal with any backlogs that have arisen due to Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40475/20]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
The information required by the Deputy in relation to average waiting times for schemes that are subject to appeal is set out in the attached table below.
The time taken to process an appeal reflects all aspects of the appeal process, including the time spent in the Department preparing the appeal submission. The quasi-judicial nature of the system impacts on appeal processing times which are proportionate to the complexity of many of the issues under appeal.
There has been a decrease in overall processing times to date in 2020 with appeals requiring an oral hearing taking an average of 26.7 weeks (26.9 weeks in 2019) and summary decisions taking 15.8 weeks (22.1 weeks in 2019) to finalise. Given the nature of the payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance appeals are prioritised at all stages of the appeal process. During 2019 it took an average of 17.6 weeks for those appeals to be decided summarily and 27.8 weeks to determine those appeals requiring oral hearing. For the period January to October 2020 the figures are 13.9 weeks for summary appeals (94% of the total) and 28.3 weeks for appeals requiring an oral hearing (6% of the total).
At the end of 2019 there were 8,788 appeals waiting to be determined. The number of appeals waiting to be determined at the end of October 2020 was 5,944 (a reduction of 32%). Processing times will continue to be a key focus of the Chief Appeals Officer.
I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that it is currently not possible to facilitate in-person oral hearings due to Covid-19 restrictions. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has recently commenced conducting online appeal hearings. In addition, appeal hearings are being conducted via telephone, where suitable. Appeals are also being determined on the basis of written submissions.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Appeal Processing Times by Scheme 1 January 2020– 31 October 2020
|
Average processing times (weeks)Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks)Oral Hearings |
|
|
Bereavement Grant |
21.0 |
- |
|
Blind Person’s Pension |
24.2 |
38.6 |
|
Back To Work Family Dividend |
18.7 |
- |
|
Carer’s Allowance |
11.8 |
22.8 |
|
Carer’s Benefit |
18.6 |
23.0 |
|
Carer’s Support Grant |
12.8 |
24.9 |
|
Child Benefit |
29.4 |
37.7 |
|
Death Benefit |
29.7 |
- |
|
Deserted Wife’s Benefit |
23.4 |
60.4 |
|
Disability Allowance |
11.5 |
19.2 |
|
Disablement Pension |
29.2 |
33.8 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
21.3 |
33.2 |
|
Farm Assist |
20.4 |
23.8 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
19.4 |
41.1 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-Con) |
22.5 |
39.3 |
|
Illness Benefit |
28.1 |
29.7 |
|
Incapacity Supplement |
19.3 |
- |
|
Insurability of Employment |
28.4 |
83.8 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
18.9 |
31.4 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
17.9 |
32.3 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Payments) |
18.0 |
34.7 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
14.9 |
23.7 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit Self Employed |
14.4 |
- |
|
Jobseeker's Transitional |
21.2 |
27.6 |
|
Liable Relatives |
35.8 |
- |
|
Maternity Benefit |
17.6 |
- |
|
Medical Care |
46.5 |
- |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
28.0 |
27.7 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
21.3 |
48.2 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit |
41.7 |
52.9 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
14.1 |
- |
|
Recoverable Benefits & Assistance |
33.3 |
- |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
25.1 |
32.8 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
23.3 |
36.7 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
13.9 |
28.3 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
21.2 |
- |
|
Widow/Widower's Pension (Contributory) |
34.7 |
35.2 |
|
Widow/Widower's Pension (Non-Contributory) |
29.4 |
35.5 |
|
Widowed Parent Grant |
19.3 |
- |
|
Working Family Payment |
17.6 |
30.5 |
|
All Appeals |
15.8 |
26.7 |
