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<p>The Ministry of Justice recognises that there are delays in the Social Security
and Child Support (SSCS) jurisdiction, which is the part of the tribunal system which
deals with benefit appeals, and is tackling them by recruiting extra judicial office
holders. We have appointed 225 medical members and 119 disability-qualified members
have recently been recruited. The SSCS jurisdiction will also benefit from the fact
that 250 fee-paid judges and 100 salaried judges are being recruited across tribunals
more widely. In addition, we have recently launched a new digital service to enable
speedier processing of appeals and provide a better service for all parties to the
proceedings. Information on the new digital service can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-online-service-launched-for-pip-appeals"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-online-service-launched-for-pip-appeals</a>.</p><p>The
Ministry of Justice is not planning to set a waiting time target for the hearing of
cases by the SSCS jurisdiction. This is because waiting times fluctuate geographically
owing to a number of factors including venue capacity, the volumes of benefit decisions
made locally, the complexity of the case and the availability of panel members. Furthermore,
the listing of appeals, including consideration of whether a hearing should be expedited,
is a function of the Tribunal’s judiciary.</p>
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