§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what additional financial resources his Department has provided to the Independent Tribunal Service to handle the appeals resulting from the Benefit Integrity Project. [82020]
postal Per cent. of Postal appeals Visit Per cent. of visit appeals Total Per cent. of total appeals Total appeal decisions 1,223 — 331 — 1,554 — Increased from original award 58 4.74 0 0 58 3.73 Original award extended 288 23.54 99 29.90 387 24.90 Increased from BIP decision 637 52.08 193 58.30 830 53.41 BIP award extended 22 1.79 10 3.02 32 2.05 Increased from 2nd tier review decision 627 51.26 185 55.89 812 52.25 2nd tier review award extended 37 3.02 18 5.43 55 3.53 Notes:
- 1. The figures are up to and including 28 February 1999.
- 2. The "total" figures include unchanged and decreased awards, so are not the sum of the figures listed below them.
- 3. Figures provided by the Benefits Agency.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what has been the average clearance time for appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project since its commencement; [82021]
20W
§ Angela EagleThe Department has not provided any additional financial resources to the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) specifically to handle appeals resulting from the Benefit Integrity Project. However, additional funding, both this year and in previous years, has been provided in-year on the basis of workload and performance trends, and to a level of maximum productivity in terms of ITS' s ability to clear appeals.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the expected date by which all appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project will have been heard. [82024]
§ Angela EagleIt is not possible for the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) to give an expected date by which all appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project will have been heard, as these appeals are still being received by ITS. ITS is, however, committed to reducing the time which all appellants must wait for their appeals to be heard.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security since the commencement of the Benefit Integrity Project,(a) how many people have requested an expedited appeal hearing on the grounds of hardship, (b) how many of these requests have been accepted by the Independent Tribunal Service and (c) what steps have been taken to inform people that they may request an expedited appeal hearing. [82023]
§ Angela EagleThe information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Independent Tribunal Service does not routinely advise people that they may request an expedited appeal hearing but will consider any written requests received.
§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of appeals decisions made under the Benefit Integrity Project based on(a) postal questionnaires and (b) home visits, have led to benefit being increased or extended for a longer period. [82067]
§ Angela EagleThe information is not available in the format requested as the Independent Tribunal Service does not separately identify Benefit Integrity Project (BIP) appeals cases. Such information as is available is in the table.
(2) what progress his Department has made in reducing the average clearance time for appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project through speeding up the preparation of appeals. [82022]
21W
§ Angela EagleThe action taken to reduce average clearance time for appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project (BIP) falls into two areas: the preparation of appeals submissions by the Benefits Agency and the processing of the appeal by the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS).
The Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) does not separately measure clearance times for appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project and so the information cannot be provided in the format requested.
Benefits Agency statistics indicate that the average clearance time for appeals arising from the Benefit Integrity Project since its commencement is 163.5 days, from receipt of the appeal in the Agency to determination of the appeal by the ITS.
The Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) has raised awareness of BIP appeals among its staff and tribunal members and procedures are in place to expedite these appeals where necessary. ITS is committed to reducing waiting times for all appellants and has a clear strategy for this. An increase in average clearance times will be seen, however, as older cases are resolved although within this, individual appellants will be receiving an improved service. During the second half of 1999, we will introduce changes to the appeals process which are designed to streamline the process and provide a more efficient and speedier service.