HC Deb 25 May 1999 vol 332 cc103-4W
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the decision making and appeals provisions of the Social Security Act 1998 will come into effect; and if he will make a statement. [85653]

Angela Eagle

In March I laid the main Regulations relating to the new system for handling decisions and appeals in benefits and child support being established under last year's Social Security Act. In addition this week I am making the Social Security Act 1998 (Commencement No 7 and Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Order 1999 which commences the relevant parts of the Act for introducing the new system for child support from 1 June. The Order also makes associated transitional and consequential provisions. Further Commencement Orders relating to benefits will be made in due course.

The new arrangements are a significant further step to modernise the delivery of Social Security and child support as part of the reform of welfare. The current system has to change. It is confusing for claimants and staff. Correcting mistakes is complicated and frequently claimants have to appeal. Even where they have no reasonable prospect of success, appeals currently take an average of seven months to be cleared.

The new system will enable the Benefits Agency, Child Support Agency and Employment Service to give a more helpful and accessible service. It will also help to tackle delays in the handling of appeals. Decisions will, as now, be based on the facts and the law, with the right of appeal to an independent tribunal. Decisions will be clearer and communications to the public are being simplified. There will be new arrangements for handling disputes, so mistakes can be corrected without the need for an appeal. Appeal tribunals will comprise one, two or three members according to the issues raised by the appeal, and there will be new arrangements for handling appeals which have no reasonable prospect of success.

To ensure service to the public is maintained during the transition period, the new system will come into operation in stages as follows:

Date
1 June 1999 Child Support
5 July 1999 Child Benefit Guardians Allowance Industrial Injury Scheme Benefits
6 September 1999 Retirement Pension Widows Benefit Incapacity Benefit Severe Disablement Allowance Maternity Allowance
5 October 1999 Working Families Tax Credit Disabled Persons Tax Credit
18 October 1999 Jobseeker's Allowance Disability Living Allowance Attendance Allowance Invalid Care Allowance Vaccine Damage Payments
29 November 1999 Income Support Social Fund

The Chief Executives of the Agencies will be fully accountable to Parliament for the quality of decision making in their Agencies.

In addition, while appeal tribunals will continue to be independent, in April 2000 a new Appeals Service Agency will be established in this Department to be responsible for appeals administration. From 1 June, in a period of shadow working before the agency is launched, responsibility for the administration of appeals will be transferred from the President, Judge Harris, to the Chief Executive designate of the Appeals Service, Neil Ward. Benefit claimants and child support clients will receive information about the new arrangements in notifications and other letters from the Agencies as their cases are handled.