Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 March 2014
95. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications currently under appeal for jobseeker's allowance; the average waiting time to have an appeal heard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11217/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra122. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of appeals currently waiting to have their appeals dealt with by her Department's appeals office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11371/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra126. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications currently under appeal for carer's allowance; the average waiting time to have an appeal heard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11375/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra127. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications currently under appeal for disability allowance; the average waiting time to have an appeal heard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11376/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra128. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications currently under appeal for jobseeker's allowance; the average waiting time to have an appeal heard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11377/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 95, 122 and 126 to 128, inclusive, together.
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that 13,444 appeals are currently registered with that office, of which 2,751 are disability allowance appeals, 1,645 are carer’s allowance appeals, 1,422 are jobseeker’s allowance (means) appeals and 1,101 are jobseeker’s allowance (payments) appeals.
Details of average processing times for these schemes for 2010 to 2013 which are provided in the following tables point to significant improvements in appeal processing times, particularly in cases where an oral hearing was required.
In the case of disability allowance appeals, the average processing time for an oral hearing reduced from 51.1 weeks in 2010 to 36.2 weeks in 2013. Carer’s allowance appeals which required an oral hearing took an average of 47.3 weeks in 2010 reducing to 33.5 weeks in 2013. A similar trend was reflected in the area of jobseeker’s allowance with jobseeker’s allowance (means) appeals down from 46.9 weeks in 2010 to 29.7 weeks in 2013 and jobseeker’s allowance (payments) appeals down from 43.0 weeks to 26.7 weeks in 2013.
Appeal processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation and include all activities during this period including time spent awaiting clarification from the appellant, time in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer and further investigation or medical examination, if deemed necessary. A major programme of process redesign and modernisation is underway in the Department in relation to many of its scheme areas aimed at reducing backlogs and reducing the time taken by the Department to respond to requests from the appeals office for submissions in relation to appeals. It is anticipated that with these improvements, the processing times for appeals will continue to improve throughout 2014.
Processing times for Disability Allowance Appeals 2010-2013
|
- |
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
2010 |
30.8 |
51.1 |
|
2011 |
27.4 |
55.6 |
|
2012 |
34.2 |
40.6 |
|
2013 |
29.0 |
36.2 |
Processing times for Carers Allowance Appeals 2010-2013
|
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
|
2010 |
26.9 |
47.3 |
|
2011 |
31.3 |
57.9 |
|
2012 |
33.5 |
42.5 |
|
2013 |
27.9 |
33.5 |
Processing times for Jobseeker’s Allowance (Means) Appeals 2010-2013
|
- |
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
2010 |
22.2 |
46.9 |
|
2011 |
18.00 |
54.8 |
|
2012 |
22.8 |
38.2 |
|
2013 |
21.2 |
29.7 |
Processing times for Jobseeker’s Allowance (Payments) Appeals 2010-2013
|
- |
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
2010 |
23.6 |
43.0 |
|
2011 |
23.8 |
47.9 |
|
2012 |
24.4 |
34.4 |
|
2013 |
20.5 |
26.7 |
