§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff in local offices of his Department in Bradford are available to represent claimants at appeals.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Department does not represent claimants at social security appeal tribunal hearings. It is normal for claimants to arrange their own representation.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals have been upheld in Bradford since the social security changes introduced last April; and in how many successful appeals the claimant was represented.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe office of the president of social security appeal tribunals advises that the latest available administrative statistics for the north-eastern region, which covers the Bradford area, show that for the period 5 April 1988 to 20 September 1988, 17,751 appeals were heard, of which 4,383, or 24.7 per cent., were decided in the claimants' favour.
Information on the number of successful appeals where the claimant was represented is not readily available for the period in question, and could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.