Vol. 480 No. 6
381 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the average length of time from when a notice of appeal is submitted to the date a decision is finalised by his officials; and whether additional staff will be recruited to the appeals office to help reduce this time. [14350/97]
390 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will take immediate action to deal with the long delay in dealing with appeals in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14451/97]
398 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the average period of time that applicants have to wait before a decision is reached in relation to social welfare appeals; the number of cases to come before the Social Welfare Appeals Office in each of the years from 1995 to date in 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14592/97]
It is proposed to answer Questions Nos. 381, 390, and 398 together.
The totals of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office in the years 1995 to the end of August 1997 were as follows: 1995, 12,353; 1996, 12,183; 1997, 9,212 (to 31 August).
The average processing time of appeals finalised during 1996 was 18 weeks, an increase of one week on 1995. Appeals involving oral hearings tend to be above this figure, whereas those where the appeal can be determined on the basis of the documentary evidence would be less. The period includes all phases of the appeals process, including, for example, where adjournments have been sought or where questions affecting the estates of deceased claimants are at issue.
Social welfare appeals involve a degree of conflicting contentions which must be resolved. For an appeal to get the attention it merits, the grounds advanced in support of it must be investigated. This often requires a further report by an investigating officer where, for example, a person's means are at issue or, for disability benefit claimants, a further examination by a medical assessor. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has made significant progress in the six years since its establishment in 1991. Up to the end of 1996 over 92,000 appeals had been processed and the number of appeals in hand has decreased from 8,287 at 31 December 1991 to 4,686 on 31 December 1996.
