Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 July 2026
2095. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the average waiting timeframes for a decision to be made on an appeal by the social welfare appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58785/26]
View answerAs of end of Q2 2026, the current average processing time for a decision to be made on appeal by the social welfare appeals office is 12 weeks.
The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing eligibility criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of illness-related schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested schemes can also require more detailed investigations and interaction with the customer, thereby lengthening the decision-making process.
My Department understands the many pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that claims are processed quickly and efficiently.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
