Work and Pensions written question – answered at on 19 October 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time was between submission of an appeal against a decision on the award of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) disability living allowance and the appeal hearing in the latest period for which figures are available.
In the current year, April 2011 to September 2011, the average actual clearance time (AACT) for an employment and support allowance (ESA) appeal was 35.2 days. For the same period the average actual clearance time (AACT) for a disability living allowance (DLA) appeal was 31.9 days.
The start date for measuring the clearance time is the date that a duly made appeal is received within the Department of Work and Pensions. The end date is when the appeal submission is issued to Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
In addition, the table shows the average time taken from receipt of an appeal at HMCTS to the date of the first appeal hearing for employment and support allowance and disability living allowance appeals.
The information covers
Average time in weeks from receipt at HMCTS to first hearing | |
Employment and support allowance | 23.20 |
Disability living allowance | 25.48 |
Waiting times for a hearing result from an unexpectedly high level of appeals. In response, HMCTS has significantly increased its capacity and, nationally, published management information showing that 28% more social security and child support appeals were cleared between
The source of the data is the Management Information System Programme (MISP). MISP is the departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice.
Sources:
1. HMCTS Social Security and Child Support monthly returns
2. Department for Work and Pensions - Management Information Statistics
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