§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the number of social security cases lodged and awaiting a hearing by a social security appeal tribunal at December 1983, December 1984 and currently;
(2) what was the average time between the lodging of an appeal and subsequent hearing by a social security appeal tribunal in 1983, 1984 and currently.
§ Mr. WhitneyInformation on the number of all appeals lodged and awaiting hearing is not available. The most recent figures which are available are as follows:
939W
Supplementary Benefit Appeal Tribunals National Insurance Local Tribunals Number of appeals lodged Number of appeals heard Lodgement to initial hearing (average) Number of appeals/ references lodged Number of appeals/ references heard Lodgement to initial hearing 12 month period ending 31 December 1983 142,779 60,567 9.4 weeks *n/a 30,468 *n/a Quarter ending 31 March 1984 37,721 16,871 10.5 weeks n/a 8,158 *n/a * A revised system of recording information about the processing of appeals is now in operation and more detailed information will be available in due course.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of social security cases awaiting a rehearing of appeal following a commissioner's decision which remitted the case for rehearing to a different social security appeal tribunal at December 1983, December 1984 and currently.
§ Mr. WhitneyThis information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The numbers of social security cases remitted by the commissioners for rehearing by a differently constituted appeal tribunal were as follows:
bases Year ended 31 December 1983 = 434 Year ended 31 December 1984 = 558 1 January 1985 to 2 July 1985 = 366