The Department's Appeals Adjudication unit adjudicated 1 552 new appeals and 11 622 outstanding appeals. A few could not be finalised due to a lack of records. Others were duplications of appeals that had already been dealt with. A total of 3 940 letters were written to appellants asking them to provide more details or additional records pertaining to their appeals. These appeals will be considered when the necessary records are available. The unit established a call centre which enables appellants to check on progress made with their appeals. This enabled the Department to help realise the goal of promoting an effective, efficient and accessible social assistance service.