Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2017
423. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals personnel working at Caranua; if they are full time or part time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26626/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra424. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals awaiting decision up to six months, 12 months, 18 months and two years at Caranua, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26627/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra425. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the length of time it is anticipated to take to clear the backlog of appeals at Caranua; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26628/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra426. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the appropriate time period for persons to wait before their appeal is decided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26629/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra427. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will arrange for advocates acting on behalf of survivors and a delegation of survivors to meet the newly appointed appeals officer in order to avoid any inference of bias in view of the fact that meetings between Caranua and the appeals office take place regularly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26630/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 423 to 427, inclusive, together.
Section 21 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 provides for the appointment of one or more persons to act as appeals officers to consider appeals against decisions of Caranua. The Act provides that the appeals officer shall be independent in the performance of his or her functions. While my Department provides administrative support to the appeals officer I, as Minister, have no role in the appeals process. Similarly the appeals process operates completely independently of Caranua.
I have recently appointed two new appeals officers who will be remunerated on a case by case basis. In appointing two appeals officers instead of just replacing the one appeals officer who has stepped down, I took cognisance of the backlog of appeals and would expect that this backlog would be reduced or eliminated over the course of the next 12 months.
I am advised that there are 148 cases outstanding. There are 45 applicants waiting up to 6 months, 62 between 6 and 12 months and 41 over 12 months.
For an appeals system to provide a service to appellants, the appellants shouldn't have to wait an inordinate amount of time for a decision. However, it should be recognised that some cases are going to be more complex than others and that where a case is complex and requires further information or consolidation of information or maybe an oral hearing that this is going to require additional time.
The legislation provides for oral hearings for the hearing of appeals. The legislation doesn't provide for meetings between the appeals officers and advocate groups or survivor representatives.
