The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
Table 1 below table shows a breakdown by county of the number of disability allowance appeals finalised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office in each of the past ten years and to the end of April 2024. Table 2 shows the number of such appeals that were successful in each of those years by county.
Table 1
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DA Appeals Finalised by County
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2014
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2015
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2016
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2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
Total
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County
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Antrim
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|
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|
|
1
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|
1
|
Armagh
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
1
|
Carlow
|
80
|
75
|
92
|
65
|
77
|
76
|
107
|
86
|
78
|
95
|
19
|
850
|
Cavan
|
92
|
62
|
42
|
71
|
72
|
70
|
108
|
77
|
72
|
78
|
15
|
759
|
Clare
|
138
|
94
|
98
|
108
|
89
|
96
|
135
|
79
|
106
|
141
|
20
|
1104
|
Cork
|
670
|
716
|
596
|
500
|
647
|
601
|
899
|
599
|
538
|
548
|
110
|
6424
|
Donegal
|
226
|
172
|
157
|
136
|
143
|
177
|
254
|
155
|
162
|
154
|
50
|
1786
|
Down
|
1
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|
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|
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|
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|
|
1
|
Dublin
|
1537
|
1265
|
989
|
987
|
991
|
1121
|
1510
|
1141
|
1145
|
1119
|
243
|
12048
|
Fermanagh
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|
|
|
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|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
Galway
|
272
|
266
|
184
|
178
|
181
|
323
|
309
|
228
|
223
|
223
|
61
|
2448
|
Kerry
|
184
|
218
|
143
|
140
|
167
|
188
|
198
|
209
|
153
|
186
|
36
|
1822
|
Kildare
|
230
|
164
|
135
|
151
|
124
|
221
|
254
|
197
|
164
|
189
|
52
|
1881
|
Kilkenny
|
76
|
72
|
59
|
73
|
55
|
105
|
123
|
95
|
97
|
86
|
16
|
857
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Laois
|
85
|
77
|
59
|
68
|
84
|
107
|
124
|
82
|
76
|
89
|
25
|
876
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Leitrim
|
28
|
36
|
28
|
15
|
35
|
24
|
54
|
38
|
30
|
26
|
5
|
319
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Limerick
|
385
|
249
|
214
|
217
|
217
|
303
|
324
|
220
|
232
|
231
|
61
|
2653
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Longford
|
71
|
49
|
46
|
63
|
60
|
83
|
86
|
44
|
66
|
67
|
16
|
651
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Louth
|
176
|
143
|
107
|
212
|
149
|
188
|
228
|
155
|
162
|
166
|
39
|
1725
|
Mayo
|
153
|
124
|
102
|
68
|
107
|
88
|
198
|
96
|
99
|
159
|
20
|
1214
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Meath
|
212
|
126
|
97
|
133
|
130
|
133
|
212
|
156
|
146
|
154
|
27
|
1526
|
Monaghan
|
60
|
52
|
56
|
48
|
44
|
55
|
83
|
47
|
38
|
34
|
6
|
523
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Offaly
|
89
|
118
|
72
|
119
|
88
|
106
|
133
|
116
|
87
|
118
|
17
|
1063
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Roscommon
|
67
|
59
|
42
|
56
|
52
|
70
|
83
|
59
|
66
|
57
|
14
|
625
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Sligo
|
88
|
63
|
60
|
66
|
63
|
68
|
80
|
56
|
46
|
60
|
4
|
654
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Tipperary
|
227
|
212
|
134
|
136
|
152
|
194
|
246
|
232
|
197
|
195
|
41
|
1966
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Waterford
|
167
|
156
|
104
|
120
|
118
|
133
|
196
|
150
|
160
|
154
|
30
|
1488
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Westmeath
|
101
|
108
|
103
|
106
|
92
|
161
|
149
|
105
|
118
|
119
|
22
|
1184
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Wexford
|
192
|
179
|
193
|
123
|
195
|
237
|
298
|
188
|
164
|
206
|
37
|
2012
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Wicklow
|
146
|
73
|
98
|
88
|
67
|
109
|
150
|
123
|
124
|
122
|
24
|
1124
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Total
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5753
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4928
|
4010
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4047
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4199
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5037
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6541
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4733
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4550
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4778
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1010
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49586
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Table 2
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DA Successful Appeals by County
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2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
Total
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County
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Carlow
|
56
|
50
|
77
|
58
|
60
|
52
|
69
|
61
|
41
|
46
|
4
|
574
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Cavan
|
60
|
41
|
22
|
48
|
47
|
44
|
59
|
43
|
35
|
40
|
6
|
445
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Clare
|
98
|
62
|
68
|
81
|
63
|
73
|
85
|
50
|
67
|
79
|
8
|
734
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Cork
|
437
|
468
|
404
|
343
|
477
|
422
|
570
|
348
|
301
|
327
|
43
|
4140
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Donegal
|
129
|
113
|
103
|
86
|
98
|
111
|
152
|
91
|
92
|
84
|
24
|
1083
|
Down
|
1
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|
1
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Dublin
|
1123
|
828
|
716
|
699
|
743
|
723
|
902
|
598
|
588
|
604
|
93
|
7617
|
Fermanagh
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|
|
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|
1
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|
|
1
|
Galway
|
179
|
159
|
121
|
136
|
135
|
208
|
196
|
140
|
117
|
122
|
20
|
1533
|
Kerry
|
116
|
167
|
96
|
110
|
118
|
131
|
139
|
118
|
92
|
103
|
18
|
1208
|
Kildare
|
158
|
123
|
109
|
110
|
82
|
153
|
175
|
116
|
96
|
93
|
22
|
1237
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Kilkenny
|
52
|
57
|
42
|
55
|
42
|
76
|
77
|
48
|
55
|
45
|
5
|
554
|
Laois
|
56
|
52
|
35
|
45
|
47
|
82
|
75
|
48
|
41
|
37
|
8
|
526
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Leitrim
|
18
|
27
|
22
|
10
|
30
|
15
|
40
|
29
|
16
|
10
|
2
|
219
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Limerick
|
282
|
182
|
147
|
163
|
165
|
236
|
235
|
135
|
138
|
139
|
23
|
1845
|
Longford
|
42
|
37
|
34
|
46
|
42
|
57
|
53
|
26
|
34
|
39
|
8
|
418
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Louth
|
119
|
81
|
70
|
167
|
103
|
110
|
124
|
79
|
90
|
90
|
13
|
1046
|
Mayo
|
102
|
92
|
66
|
51
|
69
|
54
|
128
|
53
|
48
|
83
|
13
|
759
|
Meath
|
127
|
90
|
73
|
104
|
100
|
83
|
133
|
84
|
79
|
80
|
12
|
965
|
Monaghan
|
40
|
37
|
40
|
31
|
30
|
32
|
44
|
25
|
20
|
24
|
2
|
325
|
Offaly
|
59
|
90
|
45
|
84
|
55
|
61
|
79
|
61
|
46
|
71
|
5
|
656
|
Roscommon
|
45
|
44
|
34
|
42
|
32
|
48
|
58
|
32
|
38
|
34
|
4
|
411
|
Sligo
|
58
|
45
|
33
|
52
|
49
|
49
|
48
|
31
|
22
|
37
|
3
|
427
|
Tipperary
|
155
|
143
|
92
|
114
|
124
|
131
|
143
|
157
|
116
|
109
|
18
|
1302
|
Waterford
|
110
|
119
|
75
|
89
|
100
|
100
|
107
|
95
|
84
|
86
|
13
|
978
|
Westmeath
|
56
|
80
|
69
|
75
|
68
|
92
|
87
|
64
|
61
|
58
|
6
|
716
|
Wexford
|
138
|
129
|
148
|
93
|
156
|
179
|
197
|
98
|
81
|
107
|
11
|
1337
|
Wicklow
|
106
|
51
|
70
|
79
|
49
|
81
|
110
|
84
|
71
|
73
|
11
|
785
|
Total
|
3922
|
3367
|
2811
|
2971
|
3084
|
3403
|
4085
|
2714
|
2470
|
2620
|
395
|
31842
|
From 2014 to the end of April 2024, a total of 163,320 disability allowance claims were awarded by the Department. The 31,842 successful appeals in this period therefore represents 19.5% of the total number of claims awarded.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.