§ Mr. LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures are to be taken in order to clear the backlog of medical appeals tribunals in the north-west region.
§ Mr. PortilloThe administration of medical appeal tribunals is the responsibility of the president of social security and medical appeal tribunals, his honour Judge Byrt, QC.
I am advised by the president that delays in individual medical appeal tribunal cases are attributable to a variety of causes, some of which are beyond his organisation's control. The president is confident that a number of measures now in hand, including the recruitment of additional medical appeal tribunal chairmen and members, an increase in the number of hearings held and the deployment of additional administrative resources, will significantly reduce delays in both the north-western region and elsewhere.