§ Mr. Penhaligonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the number of appeals outstanding under regulation 21 of the National Health Service (Service Committees and Tribunal) Regulations 1974; how many are processed per month; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Tim Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange for the appeal by Mr. G. J. Burkitt, of 8 Chilterns Close, Flackwell Health, Buckinghamshire, against a decision of the Dental Estimates Board to be heard before Christmas 1984.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAt the end of November 1984, there were 1,210 such appeals awaiting hearing. Since January 1984, 687 appeals have been heard, an average of 63 a month.
There has been a marked increase in the number of appeals made in 1984. In the 11 months from January to November 1984, 1,604 were received compared with 734 for the same period in 1983. Because of the unexpectedly high number of appeals there have inevitably been delays in arranging hearings.
As regards the appeal by Mr. Burkitt, our Department expects to arrange the hearing in January 1985.