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<p>The Ministry of Justice has not set a target waiting time for benefit appeals to
be heard in the Social Security and Child Support (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. There are also no targets for staffing levels for medical members, disability
qualified members or judges in the SSCS jurisdiction. Levels are set based on forecast
receipts to the SSCS jurisdiction, outstanding workload, and venue capacity.</p><p>
</p><p>HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HCMTS) is taking positive steps to reduce
the waiting time for appeals to be heard in the SSCS jurisdiction. In 2018, 232 medical
members and 118 disability-qualified members were additionally appointed to the SSCS
jurisdiction and an extra 129 fee-paid judges have recently been appointed. The SSCS
jurisdiction will also benefit from 100 salaried judges and 170 fee-paid judges being
recruited across tribunals more widely. In addition, HMCTS is developing a new digital
system with a view to enabling speedier processing of appeals and a better service
for all parties to the proceedings. Case-management “triage” sessions are also being
conducted, with the aim of reducing the number of cases that need to progress to an
oral hearing.</p>
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