§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Attorney-General what is the average delay between a social security commissioner's oral hearing and notification of the decision to the claimant; and how much of this is ascribable to administrative delay.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe average time taken between the oral hearing by a commissioner and the despatch of the decision to the parties for the quarter ending March 1990 was 105 days, of which it is estimated that the time taken in processing decisions by administrative staff, including typists, was 50 days.
The Lord Chancellor's Department and the Office of the Social Security Commissioners are actively considering ways of reducing delay in this area.