Social Welfare Appeals
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-18
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Dara Calleary (FF), Mayo

I have placed considerable emphasis on this since being appointed. At the end of 2024, there were 1,700 appeals on hand. At the end of 2025, there were 664 appeals on hand, and we had a 17.5% increase in applications in 2025. As I said at the end of my previous contribution, we have a similar increase this year. We have allocated additional resources to manage it. By moving it online, we have taken some of that paperwork burden out of it.
I am very much open to feedback. We are doing a review of all the forms and processes at the moment. It is important for us to get a balance between getting the information we need to make a decision and to allow people to make an informed decision. I do not want a situation where we are adding to the challenges of a parent's life and, most importantly, a child's life. I need to strike a balance and I am very much open to feedback from offices about the design of any of our forms, but particularly the DCA form. I do not want people to have to go through any more challenges than they already do in their daily lives.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-18