Dan Neville
Ceist:259 Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to reduce the waiting time for persons who have lodged an appeal to the appeals office (details supplied). [34232/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 30 September 2010
Ceisteanna (259, 260)
Frank Feighan
Ceist:262 Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to families left in excess of 12 months waiting for a decision on respite care application and non-contributory pension within the appeals office; if he will outline his proposals to deal with the 10-12 months delay in the appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34324/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 and 262 together.
I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office there are currently 20,446 appeals being processed. Given the volume of appeals, it is not possible to estimate the length of time before a case is determined.
There was a 46% increase in the number of appeals received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office in 2009 when compared to 2008, which in itself was 27% greater than the numbers received in 2007. There was an increase of a further 44% in the number of appeals received in the first eight months of 2010. These increases have caused delays in the processing of appeals. In order to be fair to all appellants, the vetting of appeals and the arranging of oral hearings are being dealt with in chronological order.
A number of initiatives have been put in place to enhance the capacity of the office to deal with the current caseload and inflows. In that regard:
2 additional Appeals Officers were assigned to the Office in 2009,
A number of additional staff were assigned to the administration area of the Office,
The organisation of the Appeals Officer's work has been changed so as to increase productivity,
A project to improve the business processes in the office was undertaken which has resulted in a number of improvements being implemented,
and
Significant enhancements have been made to the office's IT and phone systems.
In addition, it was decided to use experienced retired staff strictly on a short term basis to supplement the current resources and the services of eight retired officers have now been secured on a part-time basis and have been operating since July.
I am assured by the Chief Appeals Officer that she is keeping current processes under continuous review with a view to achieving a more effective throughput of appeals, while ensuring that any progress does not conflict with due process in terms of the rights of appellants and adherence to the requirements of natural justice.