asked the Minister for Social Welfare how many appeals officers are normally available for hearing appeals relating to unemployment assistance claims through the Dublin City employment exchanges; how many are now available for this work; if a vacancy exists; and if so, how it is proposed to alleviate the hardship caused to claimants by the delay in disposing of such appeals.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Assistance Appeals.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state the number of appeals to an appeal officer now pending through the Dublin City employment exchanges in connection with claims for unemployment assistance; whether there has been a delay of upwards of two months in dealing with many such appeals; and whether such delay has been caused by failure to appoint a sufficient number of appeal officers to deal with the appeals.
As the Deputy's two questions relate to the same matter, with your permission, a Chinn Comhairle, I shall reply to both together.
It is the Court of Referees which consider and make recommendations on appeals against decisions of unemployment assistance officers on claims to unemployment assistance. Appeals officers decide appeals against decisions of unemployment assistance officers on applications for qualification certificates, and mostly the appeals are against the amount of means assessed. Normally one appeals officer suffices for this work. It appears to be to these appeals that the Deputy's questions refer. The number of such appeals made through the employment exchanges in Dublin which were pending on the 22nd February, 1947, is 23. Of these 23 appeals, eight were received during the present month. A vacancy caused by the retirement of an appeals officer is about to be filled, but meanwhile two former appeals officers have been temporarily detached from other work, and all these cases will be dealt with by the end of this week.