§ Mrs. WiseTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average time being taken for the hearing of appeals by social security appeal tribunals(a) nationally and (b) in Preston.
§ Mr. PortilloThe national administrative statistics for social security appeal tribunals, which are the source for average durations between the lodging of appeals and hearing, are not disaggregated for areas smaller than a social security region.
In Great Britain for the quarter ending 31 March 1987 (the latest available figures), the average time taken between lodgement and hearing of an appeal was 18.2 weeks. In north western region for the same period, the average time taken between lodgement and hearing was 16.5 weeks.