| answer text |
<p>The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) administered
by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, hears appeals against Department for Work and
Pensions’ decisions on a range of benefits.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the
average length of time to administer appeals in respect of (a) personal independence
payment (PIP), (b) employment and support allowance (ESA), (c) income support (IS),
(d) jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and (e) tax credits in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West
Midlands and (iii) England between April 2014 and March 2015, the latest period for
which figures are available.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014/15, due to falling receipts of
new cases, the Tribunal Service began processing more older and more complex cases,
hence the rise in the average length of time to administer appeals.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td
colspan="6"><p><strong>Average length of time to administer appeals between April
2014 and March 2015</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><p><strong>PIP<sup>1</sup></strong></p></td><td><p><strong>ESA<sup>2</sup></strong></p></td><td><p><strong>IS</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>JSA</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Tax
Credits<sup>3</sup></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Coventry</strong></p><p>
</p></td><td><p>17.9</p></td><td><p>39.9</p></td><td><p>33.3</p></td><td><p>28.3</p></td><td><p>17.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>West
Midlands <sup>4</sup></strong></p></td><td><p>17.5</p></td><td><p>35.4</p></td><td><p>37</p></td><td><p>25.8</p></td><td><p>17.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>England
<sup>5</sup></strong></p><p> </p></td><td><p>16.5</p></td><td><p>30.4</p></td><td><p>30.7</p></td><td><p>25.4</p></td><td><p>16.9</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>SSCS data are normally registered to the venue nearest
to the appellant's home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s
actual address, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt
with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue.</p><p>1. Personal
Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance
was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Claims (Reassessments)</p><p>2.
Includes Employment Support Allowance and Employment Support Allowance (Reassessments)</p><p>3.
Includes Working Family Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit.</p><p>4.
West Midlands includes the venues in: Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Stoke, Wolverhampton,
Worcester, Shrewsbury, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, Nuneaton and Walsall.</p><p>5.
Excludes SSCS Scotland processing centre and the following venues Aberystwyth, Bridgend,
Cardiff, Caernafon, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay, Cwmbran, Haverfordwest, Llandrindod Wells,
Langstone, Llandudno, Llanelli, Llangefni, Llwynypia, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Port
Talbot, Newtown, Pontypridd, Pontypool, Prestatyn, Swansea, Welshpool, Wrexham, Bargoed
and Ebbw Vale</p><p>Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data,
the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management
system and is the best data that is available.</p>
|
|
