Vol. 520 No. 4
166 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the length of time it is taking to process social welfare appeals; his views on if the length of time is acceptable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15807/00]
During 1999, the number of appeals received in the social welfare appeals office was 15,465, representing an increase of
over 10% on the number – 14,014 – received in 1998. So far this year the rate of increase has accelerated, with receipts for the first five months showing an increase of 20% over the same period last year.
The average time taken to process appeals determined during 1999 was 21 weeks. This average has been maintained during the first four months of 2000 despite the increase in appeals received. The average period given includes all phases of appeals including the additional time involved in the determination of appeals where, for example, further investigations have to be made or where adjournments have been sought by the appellant or by the legal representative acting on his behalf.
The social welfare appeals system is a quasi-judicial one and the procedures involved are designed to ensure that every appellant's case gets full and satisfactory consideration. There is an inevitable time-lag inherent in such a process which is governed by statutory and fair procedure requirements.
In some cases appeals can be dealt with on the basis of information supplied by the appellant and the Department's deciding officer without recourse to an oral hearing and these take less than the average time. Where an oral hearing is required, however, an additional delay is inevitable. While processing times in the social welfare appeals office compare favourably with international experience in this area, the achievement of further improvement in these times is a major objective of the office. However, at all times it is necessary to ensure that progress in this regard is achieved in a manner that is not in conflict with or at a cost to the demands of justice and the requirement that every appeal be fully investigated and examined on all its merits. To cope with the extra demands being made on the appeals process, earlier this year I made two additional appointments, bringing the number of appeals officers to 16.
