397. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that information relevant to an appeal of a refusal to award DCA to a parent can take time to obtain; if he is further aware that sometimes, parents need to submit additional information while the appeal is submitted and pending; if he can advise whether this can be done right up to the decision on the appeal being made; and if he wil…
Topics / Social Welfare Appeals
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSocial Welfare Appeals
226 questions from 73 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 20 October 2026.
226
questions
220 written, 6 oral
73
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
2
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 15 |
| February 2025 | 36 |
| March 2025 | 10 |
| April 2025 | 24 |
| May 2025 | 27 |
| June 2025 | 13 |
| July 2025 | 26 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 6 |
| November 2025 | 9 |
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 4 |
| February 2026 | 8 |
| March 2026 | 1 |
| April 2026 | 7 |
| May 2026 | 3 |
| June 2026 | 13 |
| July 2026 | 1 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 10 |
| October 2026 | 3 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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20
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15
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12
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10
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7
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7
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6
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
398. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if, when a person withdraws an appeal against the refusal to award DCA and re-submits their application again, and this is awarded, if any backdating will be to the date of the first submission or the second; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66840/25]
78. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason so many applications for the domiciliary care allowance are rejected; the plans in place to deal with this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62262/25]
80. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection to advise on the efforts underway in his Department to decrease social welfare appeal waiting times; the average time it takes an appeal to be decided on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61989/25]
669. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of invalidity pension applications that are submitted for appeal annually; the percentage success rate of those appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61727/25]
1195. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of appeals submitted in County Kildare for disability allowance for each year from 2022 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58607/25]
1196. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of appeals submitted in County Kildare for carer’s allowance for each year from 2022 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58608/25]
1200. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 330 of 2 October 2025, the reason the information requested is not collected given that previously this information was collated successfully in response to Parliamentary Question No. 310 of 21 February 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58810/25]
1225. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time each social welfare appeal takes, in tabular form; what his Department is doing to reduce these times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59666/25]
276. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for disability allowance appeals; and the number rejected over the past three years, in tabular form. [56466/25]
255. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made in relation to an appeal submitted by a person (details supplied) with the social welfare appeals office; the reason for the long delay in deciding said appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54056/25]
367. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if the case will be reviewed of a person (details supplied) who has appealed a decision on carer’s allowance; if consideration can be given to expediting this appeal, given the person’s urgent financial circumstances and caring responsibilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53305/25]
327. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time it takes to hear a social welfare appeals case; the measures being put in place to reduce such time periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52640/25]
330. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual figures since 2015 for appeals lodged with the social welfare appeals office querying a refusal based on the habitual residence condition, by Irish citizens and non-Irish nationals, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52778/25]
104. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person is unhappy with a section 318 review by the Chief Appeals Officer, the next course of action for the person; and if he will intervene in the decision [52368/25]
83. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide the number of requests for an oral hearing over the past four years; the number of oral hearings that have been held virtually, in-person and over the phone, in the past four years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50021/25]
100. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection since the introduction of updated regulations to modernise and streamline the social welfare appeals process implemented on 28 April 2025, if a reduction in processing times has been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50807/25]
170. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection the number and types of oral hearings completed by the Appeals Office to date in 2025, in tabular form; to outline whether there are plans to increase the number of oral hearings carried out by the Appeals Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50110/25]
773. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection the average wait time for a decision on an appeal for each social welfare payment, in tabular form. [48654/25]
786. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason social welfare appeal decisions are taking up to 18 months in some cases; the number of applicants currently awaiting a decision; and the interim supports available to those left without income while awaiting an appeal outcome. [48785/25]
787. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for social welfare appeals in 2023 and 2024, in weeks, by scheme; and the way in which these compare with his Department’s stated service standards. [48787/25]
788. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken to strengthen the independence and transparency of the social welfare appeals office; if the recommendations made by an organisation (details supplied) regarding structural reform have been considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48788/25]
789. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if improvements are planned to reduce delays in transferring files and in decision-making; the status of plans to digitise the appeals process; and if priority processing will be introduced for urgent or hardship cases. [48789/25]
790. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the provisions in place to ensure that appellants have access to legal or advocacy support during social welfare appeals; if he will consider introducing free legal aid for complex appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48790/25]
1381. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the breakdown of the number of oral hearings granted to clients from 2018 to 2025 in regard to social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46182/25]