Angela Eagle: MoJ: Written Answers (32)

Written Question

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals relating to Disability Living Allowance claims are awaiting a hearing (a) nationally, (b) by region, (c) by Tribunal Office and (d) by hearing venue; what the average length of time between such appeals being (i) lodged and (ii) heard is (A) nationally, (B) by region, (C) by Tribunal Office and (D) by hearing venue; and in how many cases the length of time waited has exceeded this average (1) nationally, (2) by region, (3) by Tribunal Office and (4) by hearing venue as of 22 April 2024.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The tables below set out the number of Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit appeals awaiting a hearing (a) nationally, (b) by region, and (d) by hearing venue as at end of December 2023 (the latest period for which data are available). There are no separate data collated at (c) tribunal office level.

Information about the average length of time between appeals being lodged and heard; and in how many case the length of time waited has exceeded this average is not held centrally.

Personal Independence Payment¹ at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	6804	3861	980
Bexleyheath	1	1	0
East London	1543	905	234
Enfield	27	11	3
Fox Court	3318	1846	483
Hatton Cross	243	98	72
Romford	512	353	67
Sutton	1160	647	121
Midlands	9330	5052	1369
Birmingham	1984	1007	354
Boston	202	134	25
Chesterfield	457	255	57
Coventry	698	442	71
Derby	701	417	91
Hereford	101	43	20
Kidderminster	144	60	30
Leicester	813	415	108
Lincoln	427	258	46
Northampton	488	328	56
Nottingham	1135	610	168
Nuneaton	99	58	13
Shrewsbury	333	185	46
Stoke	427	228	63
Walsall	316	136	66
Wellingborough	196	114	22
Wolverhampton	637	262	110
Worcester	172	100	23
North East	7061	3468	1316
Barnsley	193	71	38
Bedlington	159	66	44
Berwick	14	6	3
Bradford	691	334	131
Darlington	356	195	49
Doncaster	316	142	51
Durham	333	169	77
Gateshead	78	33	21
Grimsby	186	80	37
Huddersfield	32	10	8
Hull	342	181	65
Leeds	514	165	132
Newcastle	332	122	80
North Shields	134	34	46
Scarborough	158	75	29
Sheffield	737	381	119
South Shields	233	112	53
Sunderland	545	349	53
Teesside	871	581	85
Wakefield	687	322	138
York	150	40	57
North West	7362	4250	1066
Barrow	84	53	10
Birkenhead	355	223	43
Blackburn	311	180	58
Blackpool	355	189	69
Bolton	414	231	69
Burnley	263	151	31
Carlisle	165	86	32
Chester	500	315	65
Lancaster	105	66	1
Liverpool	1023	495	155
Manchester	1319	821	164
Preston	248	123	58
Rochdale	436	216	90
St Helens	512	301	73
Stockport	699	451	68
Wigan	427	267	49
Workington	146	82	31
Scotland	263	68	114
Aberdeen	3	1	1
Ayr	11	1	4
Dumfries (Cairndale)	3	1	1
Dundee	6	0	2
Dunfermline	7	3	3
Edinburgh	70	19	36
Galashiels	6	1	3
Glasgow	89	24	36
Greenock	5	1	4
Hamilton	24	3	6
Inverness	7	4	1
Kilmarnock	2	1	1
Kirkcaldy	22	8	11
Oban	2	1	1
Stirling	4	0	2
Stranraer	1	0	1
Wick	1	0	1
South East	7696	4930	574
Ashford	556	349	38
Basildon	264	144	43
Bedford	200	133	17
Brighton	842	541	40
Cambridge	238	122	30
Chatham	466	355	23
Chelmsford	408	265	33
Eastbourne	98	64	8
Hastings	243	177	10
High Wycombe	321	192	32
Ipswich	411	283	22
Kings Lynn	181	91	13
Luton	363	229	16
Margate	257	162	20
Milton Keynes	212	119	27
Norwich	659	470	43
Oxford	311	216	27
Peterborough	307	165	33
Reading	361	224	21
Southend	95	33	21
Stevenage	163	94	14
Watford	740	502	43
South West	5916	3428	625
Unallocated ³	177	115	11
Aldershot	289	162	38
Barnstaple	80	36	8
Bristol	1167	724	122
Exeter	224	80	49
Gloucester	432	257	38
Havant	657	440	45
Newport IOW	222	153	13
Newton Abbot	246	126	29
Plymouth	384	193	55
Poole	441	249	49
Salisbury	46	10	10
Southampton	606	401	40
Swindon	320	218	23
Taunton	239	134	24
Truro	255	68	59
Worle	131	62	12
Wales	4181	2180	514
Aberystwyth	49	24	6
Caernarfon	101	23	15
Cardiff	1746	949	250
Carmarthen	72	15	19
Haverfordwest	105	39	16
Langstone, Newport	793	459	76
Llandrindod Wells	32	16	8
Llangefni	199	121	18
Port Talbot	305	112	35
Prestatyn	277	170	13
Swansea	194	75	25
Welshpool	52	31	8
Wrexham	256	146	25
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	10	4	0
National	48623	27241	6558

Disability Living Allowance at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	592	426	73
East London	149	114	22
Enfield	2	2	0
Fox Court	264	180	36
Hatton Cross	20	14	3
Romford	54	41	4
Sutton	103	75	8
Midlands	597	394	91
Birmingham	164	84	39
Boston	10	9	0
Chesterfield	26	20	2
Coventry	46	35	4
Derby	40	32	5
Hereford	7	5	0
Kidderminster	11	8	1
Leicester	43	32	8
Lincoln	36	25	1
Northampton	26	19	4
Nottingham	63	41	10
Nuneaton	4	3	0
Shrewsbury	20	15	3
Stoke	30	23	4
Walsall	19	10	1
Wellingborough	10	9	1
Wolverhampton	34	17	8
Worcester	8	7	0
North East	489	326	68
Barnsley	15	9	2
Bedlington	9	7	0
Bradford	54	36	8
Darlington	29	20	4
Doncaster	14	5	2
Durham	20	15	4
Gateshead	3	1	1
Grimsby	12	5	4
Huddersfield	1	1	0
Hull	23	16	5
Leeds	30	8	12
Newcastle	16	7	5
North Shields	3	2	0
Scarborough	9	5	2
Sheffield	71	52	3
South Shields	19	11	4
Sunderland	40	29	3
Teesside	67	61	1
Wakefield	47	32	6
York	7	4	2
North West	535	372	87
Barrow	5	4	0
Birkenhead	32	19	7
Blackburn	26	17	6
Blackpool	19	10	2
Bolton	30	20	5
Burnley	14	11	2
Carlisle	9	3	4
Chester	20	14	4
Lancaster	6	6	0
Liverpool	70	45	12
Manchester	113	89	14
Preston	14	9	2
Rochdale	40	25	10
St Helens	42	27	9
Stockport	60	49	4
Wigan	31	21	6
Workington	4	3	0
Scotland	8	2	3
Ayr	2	1	0
Dundee	1	0	0
Edinburgh	2	0	2
Glasgow	1	0	0
Inverness	1	0	1
Kirkcaldy	1	1	0
South East	555	427	52
Ashford	33	24	3
Basildon	25	15	5
Bedford	20	16	1
Brighton	46	36	2
Cambridge	10	4	6
Chatham	47	41	4
Chelmsford	38	28	4
Eastbourne	4	3	0
Hastings	13	10	1
High Wycombe	27	18	5
Ipswich	30	23	2
Kings Lynn	12	10	2
Luton	27	26	0
Margate	15	14	1
Milton Keynes	14	8	3
Norwich	46	37	3
Oxford	23	18	1
Peterborough	19	14	3
Reading	26	23	0
Southend	8	4	3
Stevenage	12	8	1
Watford	60	47	2
South West	394	266	45
Unallocated ³	10	6	2
Aldershot	26	20	2
Barnstaple	3	1	0
Bristol	79	52	9
Exeter	13	4	3
Gloucester	27	15	4
Havant	48	33	6
Newport IOW	13	11	1
Newton Abbot	12	8	0
Plymouth	21	15	2
Poole	30	23	2
Salisbury	3	0	1
Southampton	36	26	5
Swindon	24	19	2
Taunton	21	17	2
Truro	16	9	4
Worle	12	7	0
Wales	247	148	35
Aberystwyth	3	3	0
Caernarfon	3	1	2
Cardiff	115	61	18
Carmarthen	1	0	1
Haverfordwest	4	0	3
Langstone, Newport	45	33	3
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	13	10	1
Port Talbot	15	9	2
Prestatyn	16	13	0
Swansea	9	3	4
Welshpool	1	0	0
Wrexham	21	14	1
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	1	0	0
National	3418	2361	454

Employment and Support Allowance⁴at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	380	158	28
East London	116	59	4
Enfield	2	0	0
Fox Court	149	47	17
Hatton Cross	19	8	3
Romford	24	12	2
Sutton	70	32	2
Midlands	667	351	88
Birmingham	112	57	19
Boston	21	11	1
Chesterfield	33	14	7
Coventry	48	29	5
Derby	48	26	6
Hereford	9	4	2
Kidderminster	13	8	2
Leicester	69	44	7
Lincoln	17	8	1
Northampton	32	14	4
Nottingham	65	31	12
Nuneaton	7	2	0
Shrewsbury	38	21	7
Stoke	49	29	0
Walsall	25	13	4
Wellingborough	11	6	1
Wolverhampton	56	25	8
Worcester	14	9	2
North East	468	188	62
Barnsley	18	7	5
Bedlington	14	2	3
Bradford	41	17	3
Darlington	23	8	2
Doncaster	17	8	2
Durham	22	8	4
Gateshead	5	0	0
Grimsby	19	7	2
Hull	20	15	0
Leeds	20	7	1
Newcastle	25	9	3
North Shields	19	3	5
Scarborough	12	4	4
Sheffield	40	15	6
South Shields	27	8	1
Sunderland	38	20	3
Teesside	49	25	6
Wakefield	42	18	7
York	17	7	5
North West	323	82	72
Barrow	5	0	1
Birkenhead	9	1	2
Blackburn	13	3	3
Blackpool	13	1	4
Bolton	21	6	4
Burnley	7	0	3
Carlisle	9	1	1
Chester	25	5	6
Lancaster	7	3	0
Liverpool	38	16	7
Manchester	50	15	12
Preston	4	2	1
Rochdale	28	6	5
St Helens	21	1	2
Stockport	40	17	9
Wigan	24	4	9
Workington	9	1	3
Scotland	214	20	70
Aberdeen	13	0	3
Ayr	17	1	6
Campbeltown Centre	1	0	0
Dumfries (Cairndale)	9	0	7
Dundee	12	0	3
Dunfermline	5	0	1
Edinburgh	27	1	15
Galashiels	6	2	1
Glasgow	50	6	18
Greenock	12	3	0
Hamilton	19	3	3
Inverness	14	0	6
Kilmarnock	2	0	1
Kirkcaldy	8	2	2
Lerwick	2	0	0
Stirling	17	2	4
South East	420	209	48
Ashford	20	10	1
Basildon	16	7	2
Bedford	13	7	1
Brighton	39	20	6
Cambridge	11	5	1
Chatham	16	8	3
Chelmsford	37	18	3
Eastbourne	2	2	0
Hastings	9	3	4
High Wycombe	19	8	1
Ipswich	25	14	1
Kings Lynn	15	7	3
Luton	22	13	1
Margate	4	1	0
Milton Keynes	9	5	1
Norwich	36	17	5
Oxford	21	13	3
Peterborough	32	12	3
Reading	34	19	4
Southend	2	2	0
Stevenage	9	6	1
Watford	29	12	4
South West	490	295	15
Unallocated ³	14	8	3
Aldershot	31	24	0
Barnstaple	6	4	0
Bristol	80	42	4
Exeter	12	5	1
Gloucester	35	21	0
Havant	65	43	1
Newport IOW	27	21	2
Newton Abbot	26	15	0
Plymouth	31	19	0
Poole	32	25	1
Salisbury	7	3	0
Southampton	49	26	1
Swindon	17	8	2
Taunton	22	12	0
Truro	21	12	0
Worle	15	7	0
Wales	434	278	13
Aberystwyth	10	5	3
Caernarfon	10	6	1
Cardiff	155	108	3
Carmarthen	10	6	0
Haverfordwest	13	8	0
Langstone, Newport	88	55	1
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	23	15	0
Port Talbot	37	26	0
Prestatyn	24	14	2
Swansea	27	11	0
Welshpool	13	6	3
Wrexham	23	17	0
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	3	0	2
National	3399	1581	398

Universal Credit⁵at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	2659	1361	215
East London	566	294	57
Enfield	8	2	1
Fox Court	1468	754	94
Hatton Cross	102	40	13
Romford	169	85	34
Sutton	346	186	16
Midlands	2602	1489	406
Birmingham	713	381	142
Boston	51	34	7
Chesterfield	62	34	11
Coventry	202	125	14
Derby	159	87	31
Hereford	21	16	0
Kidderminster	20	15	2
Leicester	265	160	29
Lincoln	123	74	19
Northampton	126	82	16
Nottingham	253	148	50
Nuneaton	11	7	0
Shrewsbury	78	45	7
Stoke	99	55	9
Walsall	116	64	15
Wellingborough	43	29	6
Wolverhampton	218	109	44
Worcester	42	24	4
North East	2007	1012	385
Barnsley	55	26	13
Bedlington	46	20	15
Berwick	5	3	0
Bradford	208	118	30
Darlington	70	26	19
Doncaster	84	31	18
Durham	40	17	7
Gateshead	24	11	10
Grimsby	69	41	11
Huddersfield	3	0	0
Hull	108	62	16
Leeds	173	68	30
Newcastle	229	109	48
North Shields	45	16	9
Scarborough	49	24	15
Sheffield	160	67	40
South Shields	71	40	13
Sunderland	124	79	12
Teesside	227	137	37
Wakefield	170	88	32
York	47	29	10
North West	1512	572	308
Barrow	12	6	1
Birkenhead	34	15	5
Blackburn	33	15	2
Blackpool	54	13	10
Bolton	107	32	24
Burnley	65	29	8
Carlisle	29	14	4
Chester	61	17	6
Lancaster	27	13	3
Liverpool	179	49	34
Manchester	467	226	112
Preston	35	7	8
Rochdale	91	23	17
St Helens	79	34	13
Stockport	141	45	43
Wigan	85	29	17
Workington	13	5	1
Scotland	658	187	219
Aberdeen	33	8	15
Ayr	40	12	13
Dumfries (Cairndale)	13	1	5
Dundee	44	10	13
Dunfermline	14	3	2
Edinburgh	120	31	40
Galashiels	14	6	3
Glasgow	206	64	71
Greenock	25	6	10
Hamilton	59	17	19
Inverness	22	3	9
Kilmarnock	2	0	0
Kirkcaldy	22	9	4
Kirkwall	1	0	1
Lerwick	1	0	1
Lewis	2	0	1
Oban	4	1	2
Stirling	29	13	9
Stranraer	3	2	0
Wick	4	1	1
South East	2002	1053	321
Ashford	117	47	28
Basildon	70	24	19
Bedford	48	30	6
Brighton	173	76	35
Cambridge	68	33	11
Chatham	70	27	21
Chelmsford	107	62	11
Eastbourne	26	15	3
Hastings	43	27	8
High Wycombe	125	70	14
Ipswich	89	54	8
Kings Lynn	36	18	12
Luton	110	65	16
Margate	39	18	8
Milton Keynes	48	27	6
Norwich	145	86	22
Oxford	111	66	13
Peterborough	91	45	14
Reading	141	73	21
Southend	65	37	16
Stevenage	45	27	2
Watford	235	126	27
South West	1744	1121	65
Unallocated ³	43	26	2
Aldershot	120	74	5
Barnstaple	24	15	0
Bristol	342	219	11
Exeter	59	32	0
Gloucester	136	99	7
Havant	187	133	5
Newport IOW	49	35	4
Newton Abbot	61	34	4
Plymouth	84	52	0
Poole	159	96	9
Salisbury	15	6	1
Southampton	162	106	5
Swindon	108	71	5
Taunton	71	42	0
Truro	87	58	3
Worle	37	23	4
Wales	1019	712	62
Aberystwyth	16	8	1
Caernarfon	53	32	6
Cardiff	389	277	18
Carmarthen	20	14	0
Haverfordwest	28	19	1
Langstone, Newport	179	133	9
Llandrindod Wells	3	3	0
Llangefni	27	20	1
Port Talbot	91	68	3
Prestatyn	74	46	9
Swansea	58	43	3
Welshpool	14	8	3
Wrexham	67	41	8
National	14203	7507	1981

From April 2023 the SSCS Tribunal started to list cases using a new Scheduling and Listing solution. This, alongside HMCTS migrating to a new Strategic Data Platform, has resulted in some cases heard and decided using this new listing solution not currently being included in the data above.

1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Clams (Reassessments)

2. Data pulled 23/4/2024

3. Unallocated relates to appeals that have not yet been allocated to a venue.

4. Data includes Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit reassessment. Employment and Support Allowance was introduced in October 2008 and Incapacity Benefit reassessment followed in October 2010.

5. Universal Credit was introduced on 29 April 2013 in selected areas of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and has been gradually rolled out to the rest of the UK from October 2013.

Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that the data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when data are used.

Management information reflects the data held on the case management system, which is subject to change, and can differ from the quality-assured MOJ official statistics, which form the agreed definitive position.

Written Question

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals relating to Personal Independence Payment claims are awaiting a hearing (a) nationally, (b) by region, (c) by Tribunal Office and (d) by hearing venue; what the average length of time between such appeals being (i) lodged and (ii) heard is (A) nationally, (B) by region, (C) by Tribunal Office and (D) by hearing venue; and in how many cases the length of time waited has exceeded this average (1) nationally, (2) by region, (3) by Tribunal Office and (4) by hearing venue as of 22 April 2024.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Information about the average length of time between appeals being lodged and heard; and in how many case the length of time waited has exceeded this average is not held centrally.

Personal Independence Payment¹ at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	6804	3861	980
Bexleyheath	1	1	0
East London	1543	905	234
Enfield	27	11	3
Fox Court	3318	1846	483
Hatton Cross	243	98	72
Romford	512	353	67
Sutton	1160	647	121
Midlands	9330	5052	1369
Birmingham	1984	1007	354
Boston	202	134	25
Chesterfield	457	255	57
Coventry	698	442	71
Derby	701	417	91
Hereford	101	43	20
Kidderminster	144	60	30
Leicester	813	415	108
Lincoln	427	258	46
Northampton	488	328	56
Nottingham	1135	610	168
Nuneaton	99	58	13
Shrewsbury	333	185	46
Stoke	427	228	63
Walsall	316	136	66
Wellingborough	196	114	22
Wolverhampton	637	262	110
Worcester	172	100	23
North East	7061	3468	1316
Barnsley	193	71	38
Bedlington	159	66	44
Berwick	14	6	3
Bradford	691	334	131
Darlington	356	195	49
Doncaster	316	142	51
Durham	333	169	77
Gateshead	78	33	21
Grimsby	186	80	37
Huddersfield	32	10	8
Hull	342	181	65
Leeds	514	165	132
Newcastle	332	122	80
North Shields	134	34	46
Scarborough	158	75	29
Sheffield	737	381	119
South Shields	233	112	53
Sunderland	545	349	53
Teesside	871	581	85
Wakefield	687	322	138
York	150	40	57
North West	7362	4250	1066
Barrow	84	53	10
Birkenhead	355	223	43
Blackburn	311	180	58
Blackpool	355	189	69
Bolton	414	231	69
Burnley	263	151	31
Carlisle	165	86	32
Chester	500	315	65
Lancaster	105	66	1
Liverpool	1023	495	155
Manchester	1319	821	164
Preston	248	123	58
Rochdale	436	216	90
St Helens	512	301	73
Stockport	699	451	68
Wigan	427	267	49
Workington	146	82	31
Scotland	263	68	114
Aberdeen	3	1	1
Ayr	11	1	4
Dumfries (Cairndale)	3	1	1
Dundee	6	0	2
Dunfermline	7	3	3
Edinburgh	70	19	36
Galashiels	6	1	3
Glasgow	89	24	36
Greenock	5	1	4
Hamilton	24	3	6
Inverness	7	4	1
Kilmarnock	2	1	1
Kirkcaldy	22	8	11
Oban	2	1	1
Stirling	4	0	2
Stranraer	1	0	1
Wick	1	0	1
South East	7696	4930	574
Ashford	556	349	38
Basildon	264	144	43
Bedford	200	133	17
Brighton	842	541	40
Cambridge	238	122	30
Chatham	466	355	23
Chelmsford	408	265	33
Eastbourne	98	64	8
Hastings	243	177	10
High Wycombe	321	192	32
Ipswich	411	283	22
Kings Lynn	181	91	13
Luton	363	229	16
Margate	257	162	20
Milton Keynes	212	119	27
Norwich	659	470	43
Oxford	311	216	27
Peterborough	307	165	33
Reading	361	224	21
Southend	95	33	21
Stevenage	163	94	14
Watford	740	502	43
South West	5916	3428	625
Unallocated ³	177	115	11
Aldershot	289	162	38
Barnstaple	80	36	8
Bristol	1167	724	122
Exeter	224	80	49
Gloucester	432	257	38
Havant	657	440	45
Newport IOW	222	153	13
Newton Abbot	246	126	29
Plymouth	384	193	55
Poole	441	249	49
Salisbury	46	10	10
Southampton	606	401	40
Swindon	320	218	23
Taunton	239	134	24
Truro	255	68	59
Worle	131	62	12
Wales	4181	2180	514
Aberystwyth	49	24	6
Caernarfon	101	23	15
Cardiff	1746	949	250
Carmarthen	72	15	19
Haverfordwest	105	39	16
Langstone, Newport	793	459	76
Llandrindod Wells	32	16	8
Llangefni	199	121	18
Port Talbot	305	112	35
Prestatyn	277	170	13
Swansea	194	75	25
Welshpool	52	31	8
Wrexham	256	146	25
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	10	4	0
National	48623	27241	6558

Disability Living Allowance at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	592	426	73
East London	149	114	22
Enfield	2	2	0
Fox Court	264	180	36
Hatton Cross	20	14	3
Romford	54	41	4
Sutton	103	75	8
Midlands	597	394	91
Birmingham	164	84	39
Boston	10	9	0
Chesterfield	26	20	2
Coventry	46	35	4
Derby	40	32	5
Hereford	7	5	0
Kidderminster	11	8	1
Leicester	43	32	8
Lincoln	36	25	1
Northampton	26	19	4
Nottingham	63	41	10
Nuneaton	4	3	0
Shrewsbury	20	15	3
Stoke	30	23	4
Walsall	19	10	1
Wellingborough	10	9	1
Wolverhampton	34	17	8
Worcester	8	7	0
North East	489	326	68
Barnsley	15	9	2
Bedlington	9	7	0
Bradford	54	36	8
Darlington	29	20	4
Doncaster	14	5	2
Durham	20	15	4
Gateshead	3	1	1
Grimsby	12	5	4
Huddersfield	1	1	0
Hull	23	16	5
Leeds	30	8	12
Newcastle	16	7	5
North Shields	3	2	0
Scarborough	9	5	2
Sheffield	71	52	3
South Shields	19	11	4
Sunderland	40	29	3
Teesside	67	61	1
Wakefield	47	32	6
York	7	4	2
North West	535	372	87
Barrow	5	4	0
Birkenhead	32	19	7
Blackburn	26	17	6
Blackpool	19	10	2
Bolton	30	20	5
Burnley	14	11	2
Carlisle	9	3	4
Chester	20	14	4
Lancaster	6	6	0
Liverpool	70	45	12
Manchester	113	89	14
Preston	14	9	2
Rochdale	40	25	10
St Helens	42	27	9
Stockport	60	49	4
Wigan	31	21	6
Workington	4	3	0
Scotland	8	2	3
Ayr	2	1	0
Dundee	1	0	0
Edinburgh	2	0	2
Glasgow	1	0	0
Inverness	1	0	1
Kirkcaldy	1	1	0
South East	555	427	52
Ashford	33	24	3
Basildon	25	15	5
Bedford	20	16	1
Brighton	46	36	2
Cambridge	10	4	6
Chatham	47	41	4
Chelmsford	38	28	4
Eastbourne	4	3	0
Hastings	13	10	1
High Wycombe	27	18	5
Ipswich	30	23	2
Kings Lynn	12	10	2
Luton	27	26	0
Margate	15	14	1
Milton Keynes	14	8	3
Norwich	46	37	3
Oxford	23	18	1
Peterborough	19	14	3
Reading	26	23	0
Southend	8	4	3
Stevenage	12	8	1
Watford	60	47	2
South West	394	266	45
Unallocated ³	10	6	2
Aldershot	26	20	2
Barnstaple	3	1	0
Bristol	79	52	9
Exeter	13	4	3
Gloucester	27	15	4
Havant	48	33	6
Newport IOW	13	11	1
Newton Abbot	12	8	0
Plymouth	21	15	2
Poole	30	23	2
Salisbury	3	0	1
Southampton	36	26	5
Swindon	24	19	2
Taunton	21	17	2
Truro	16	9	4
Worle	12	7	0
Wales	247	148	35
Aberystwyth	3	3	0
Caernarfon	3	1	2
Cardiff	115	61	18
Carmarthen	1	0	1
Haverfordwest	4	0	3
Langstone, Newport	45	33	3
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	13	10	1
Port Talbot	15	9	2
Prestatyn	16	13	0
Swansea	9	3	4
Welshpool	1	0	0
Wrexham	21	14	1
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	1	0	0
National	3418	2361	454

Employment and Support Allowance⁴at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	380	158	28
East London	116	59	4
Enfield	2	0	0
Fox Court	149	47	17
Hatton Cross	19	8	3
Romford	24	12	2
Sutton	70	32	2
Midlands	667	351	88
Birmingham	112	57	19
Boston	21	11	1
Chesterfield	33	14	7
Coventry	48	29	5
Derby	48	26	6
Hereford	9	4	2
Kidderminster	13	8	2
Leicester	69	44	7
Lincoln	17	8	1
Northampton	32	14	4
Nottingham	65	31	12
Nuneaton	7	2	0
Shrewsbury	38	21	7
Stoke	49	29	0
Walsall	25	13	4
Wellingborough	11	6	1
Wolverhampton	56	25	8
Worcester	14	9	2
North East	468	188	62
Barnsley	18	7	5
Bedlington	14	2	3
Bradford	41	17	3
Darlington	23	8	2
Doncaster	17	8	2
Durham	22	8	4
Gateshead	5	0	0
Grimsby	19	7	2
Hull	20	15	0
Leeds	20	7	1
Newcastle	25	9	3
North Shields	19	3	5
Scarborough	12	4	4
Sheffield	40	15	6
South Shields	27	8	1
Sunderland	38	20	3
Teesside	49	25	6
Wakefield	42	18	7
York	17	7	5
North West	323	82	72
Barrow	5	0	1
Birkenhead	9	1	2
Blackburn	13	3	3
Blackpool	13	1	4
Bolton	21	6	4
Burnley	7	0	3
Carlisle	9	1	1
Chester	25	5	6
Lancaster	7	3	0
Liverpool	38	16	7
Manchester	50	15	12
Preston	4	2	1
Rochdale	28	6	5
St Helens	21	1	2
Stockport	40	17	9
Wigan	24	4	9
Workington	9	1	3
Scotland	214	20	70
Aberdeen	13	0	3
Ayr	17	1	6
Campbeltown Centre	1	0	0
Dumfries (Cairndale)	9	0	7
Dundee	12	0	3
Dunfermline	5	0	1
Edinburgh	27	1	15
Galashiels	6	2	1
Glasgow	50	6	18
Greenock	12	3	0
Hamilton	19	3	3
Inverness	14	0	6
Kilmarnock	2	0	1
Kirkcaldy	8	2	2
Lerwick	2	0	0
Stirling	17	2	4
South East	420	209	48
Ashford	20	10	1
Basildon	16	7	2
Bedford	13	7	1
Brighton	39	20	6
Cambridge	11	5	1
Chatham	16	8	3
Chelmsford	37	18	3
Eastbourne	2	2	0
Hastings	9	3	4
High Wycombe	19	8	1
Ipswich	25	14	1
Kings Lynn	15	7	3
Luton	22	13	1
Margate	4	1	0
Milton Keynes	9	5	1
Norwich	36	17	5
Oxford	21	13	3
Peterborough	32	12	3
Reading	34	19	4
Southend	2	2	0
Stevenage	9	6	1
Watford	29	12	4
South West	490	295	15
Unallocated ³	14	8	3
Aldershot	31	24	0
Barnstaple	6	4	0
Bristol	80	42	4
Exeter	12	5	1
Gloucester	35	21	0
Havant	65	43	1
Newport IOW	27	21	2
Newton Abbot	26	15	0
Plymouth	31	19	0
Poole	32	25	1
Salisbury	7	3	0
Southampton	49	26	1
Swindon	17	8	2
Taunton	22	12	0
Truro	21	12	0
Worle	15	7	0
Wales	434	278	13
Aberystwyth	10	5	3
Caernarfon	10	6	1
Cardiff	155	108	3
Carmarthen	10	6	0
Haverfordwest	13	8	0
Langstone, Newport	88	55	1
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	23	15	0
Port Talbot	37	26	0
Prestatyn	24	14	2
Swansea	27	11	0
Welshpool	13	6	3
Wrexham	23	17	0
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	3	0	2
National	3399	1581	398

Universal Credit⁵at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	2659	1361	215
East London	566	294	57
Enfield	8	2	1
Fox Court	1468	754	94
Hatton Cross	102	40	13
Romford	169	85	34
Sutton	346	186	16
Midlands	2602	1489	406
Birmingham	713	381	142
Boston	51	34	7
Chesterfield	62	34	11
Coventry	202	125	14
Derby	159	87	31
Hereford	21	16	0
Kidderminster	20	15	2
Leicester	265	160	29
Lincoln	123	74	19
Northampton	126	82	16
Nottingham	253	148	50
Nuneaton	11	7	0
Shrewsbury	78	45	7
Stoke	99	55	9
Walsall	116	64	15
Wellingborough	43	29	6
Wolverhampton	218	109	44
Worcester	42	24	4
North East	2007	1012	385
Barnsley	55	26	13
Bedlington	46	20	15
Berwick	5	3	0
Bradford	208	118	30
Darlington	70	26	19
Doncaster	84	31	18
Durham	40	17	7
Gateshead	24	11	10
Grimsby	69	41	11
Huddersfield	3	0	0
Hull	108	62	16
Leeds	173	68	30
Newcastle	229	109	48
North Shields	45	16	9
Scarborough	49	24	15
Sheffield	160	67	40
South Shields	71	40	13
Sunderland	124	79	12
Teesside	227	137	37
Wakefield	170	88	32
York	47	29	10
North West	1512	572	308
Barrow	12	6	1
Birkenhead	34	15	5
Blackburn	33	15	2
Blackpool	54	13	10
Bolton	107	32	24
Burnley	65	29	8
Carlisle	29	14	4
Chester	61	17	6
Lancaster	27	13	3
Liverpool	179	49	34
Manchester	467	226	112
Preston	35	7	8
Rochdale	91	23	17
St Helens	79	34	13
Stockport	141	45	43
Wigan	85	29	17
Workington	13	5	1
Scotland	658	187	219
Aberdeen	33	8	15
Ayr	40	12	13
Dumfries (Cairndale)	13	1	5
Dundee	44	10	13
Dunfermline	14	3	2
Edinburgh	120	31	40
Galashiels	14	6	3
Glasgow	206	64	71
Greenock	25	6	10
Hamilton	59	17	19
Inverness	22	3	9
Kilmarnock	2	0	0
Kirkcaldy	22	9	4
Kirkwall	1	0	1
Lerwick	1	0	1
Lewis	2	0	1
Oban	4	1	2
Stirling	29	13	9
Stranraer	3	2	0
Wick	4	1	1
South East	2002	1053	321
Ashford	117	47	28
Basildon	70	24	19
Bedford	48	30	6
Brighton	173	76	35
Cambridge	68	33	11
Chatham	70	27	21
Chelmsford	107	62	11
Eastbourne	26	15	3
Hastings	43	27	8
High Wycombe	125	70	14
Ipswich	89	54	8
Kings Lynn	36	18	12
Luton	110	65	16
Margate	39	18	8
Milton Keynes	48	27	6
Norwich	145	86	22
Oxford	111	66	13
Peterborough	91	45	14
Reading	141	73	21
Southend	65	37	16
Stevenage	45	27	2
Watford	235	126	27
South West	1744	1121	65
Unallocated ³	43	26	2
Aldershot	120	74	5
Barnstaple	24	15	0
Bristol	342	219	11
Exeter	59	32	0
Gloucester	136	99	7
Havant	187	133	5
Newport IOW	49	35	4
Newton Abbot	61	34	4
Plymouth	84	52	0
Poole	159	96	9
Salisbury	15	6	1
Southampton	162	106	5
Swindon	108	71	5
Taunton	71	42	0
Truro	87	58	3
Worle	37	23	4
Wales	1019	712	62
Aberystwyth	16	8	1
Caernarfon	53	32	6
Cardiff	389	277	18
Carmarthen	20	14	0
Haverfordwest	28	19	1
Langstone, Newport	179	133	9
Llandrindod Wells	3	3	0
Llangefni	27	20	1
Port Talbot	91	68	3
Prestatyn	74	46	9
Swansea	58	43	3
Welshpool	14	8	3
Wrexham	67	41	8
National	14203	7507	1981

1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Clams (Reassessments)

2. Data pulled 23/4/2024

3. Unallocated relates to appeals that have not yet been allocated to a venue.

5. Universal Credit was introduced on 29 April 2013 in selected areas of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and has been gradually rolled out to the rest of the UK from October 2013.

Written Question

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals relating to Employment Support Allowance claims are awaiting a hearing (a) nationally, (b) by region, (c) by Tribunal Office and (d) by hearing venue; what the average length of time between such appeals being (i) lodged and (ii) heard is (A) nationally, (B) by region, (C) by Tribunal Office and (D) by hearing venue; and in how many cases the length of time waited has exceeded this average (1) nationally, (2) by region, (3) by Tribunal Office and (4) by hearing venue as of 22 April 2024.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Information about the average length of time between appeals being lodged and heard; and in how many case the length of time waited has exceeded this average is not held centrally.

Personal Independence Payment¹ at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	6804	3861	980
Bexleyheath	1	1	0
East London	1543	905	234
Enfield	27	11	3
Fox Court	3318	1846	483
Hatton Cross	243	98	72
Romford	512	353	67
Sutton	1160	647	121
Midlands	9330	5052	1369
Birmingham	1984	1007	354
Boston	202	134	25
Chesterfield	457	255	57
Coventry	698	442	71
Derby	701	417	91
Hereford	101	43	20
Kidderminster	144	60	30
Leicester	813	415	108
Lincoln	427	258	46
Northampton	488	328	56
Nottingham	1135	610	168
Nuneaton	99	58	13
Shrewsbury	333	185	46
Stoke	427	228	63
Walsall	316	136	66
Wellingborough	196	114	22
Wolverhampton	637	262	110
Worcester	172	100	23
North East	7061	3468	1316
Barnsley	193	71	38
Bedlington	159	66	44
Berwick	14	6	3
Bradford	691	334	131
Darlington	356	195	49
Doncaster	316	142	51
Durham	333	169	77
Gateshead	78	33	21
Grimsby	186	80	37
Huddersfield	32	10	8
Hull	342	181	65
Leeds	514	165	132
Newcastle	332	122	80
North Shields	134	34	46
Scarborough	158	75	29
Sheffield	737	381	119
South Shields	233	112	53
Sunderland	545	349	53
Teesside	871	581	85
Wakefield	687	322	138
York	150	40	57
North West	7362	4250	1066
Barrow	84	53	10
Birkenhead	355	223	43
Blackburn	311	180	58
Blackpool	355	189	69
Bolton	414	231	69
Burnley	263	151	31
Carlisle	165	86	32
Chester	500	315	65
Lancaster	105	66	1
Liverpool	1023	495	155
Manchester	1319	821	164
Preston	248	123	58
Rochdale	436	216	90
St Helens	512	301	73
Stockport	699	451	68
Wigan	427	267	49
Workington	146	82	31
Scotland	263	68	114
Aberdeen	3	1	1
Ayr	11	1	4
Dumfries (Cairndale)	3	1	1
Dundee	6	0	2
Dunfermline	7	3	3
Edinburgh	70	19	36
Galashiels	6	1	3
Glasgow	89	24	36
Greenock	5	1	4
Hamilton	24	3	6
Inverness	7	4	1
Kilmarnock	2	1	1
Kirkcaldy	22	8	11
Oban	2	1	1
Stirling	4	0	2
Stranraer	1	0	1
Wick	1	0	1
South East	7696	4930	574
Ashford	556	349	38
Basildon	264	144	43
Bedford	200	133	17
Brighton	842	541	40
Cambridge	238	122	30
Chatham	466	355	23
Chelmsford	408	265	33
Eastbourne	98	64	8
Hastings	243	177	10
High Wycombe	321	192	32
Ipswich	411	283	22
Kings Lynn	181	91	13
Luton	363	229	16
Margate	257	162	20
Milton Keynes	212	119	27
Norwich	659	470	43
Oxford	311	216	27
Peterborough	307	165	33
Reading	361	224	21
Southend	95	33	21
Stevenage	163	94	14
Watford	740	502	43
South West	5916	3428	625
Unallocated ³	177	115	11
Aldershot	289	162	38
Barnstaple	80	36	8
Bristol	1167	724	122
Exeter	224	80	49
Gloucester	432	257	38
Havant	657	440	45
Newport IOW	222	153	13
Newton Abbot	246	126	29
Plymouth	384	193	55
Poole	441	249	49
Salisbury	46	10	10
Southampton	606	401	40
Swindon	320	218	23
Taunton	239	134	24
Truro	255	68	59
Worle	131	62	12
Wales	4181	2180	514
Aberystwyth	49	24	6
Caernarfon	101	23	15
Cardiff	1746	949	250
Carmarthen	72	15	19
Haverfordwest	105	39	16
Langstone, Newport	793	459	76
Llandrindod Wells	32	16	8
Llangefni	199	121	18
Port Talbot	305	112	35
Prestatyn	277	170	13
Swansea	194	75	25
Welshpool	52	31	8
Wrexham	256	146	25
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	10	4	0
National	48623	27241	6558

Disability Living Allowance at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	592	426	73
East London	149	114	22
Enfield	2	2	0
Fox Court	264	180	36
Hatton Cross	20	14	3
Romford	54	41	4
Sutton	103	75	8
Midlands	597	394	91
Birmingham	164	84	39
Boston	10	9	0
Chesterfield	26	20	2
Coventry	46	35	4
Derby	40	32	5
Hereford	7	5	0
Kidderminster	11	8	1
Leicester	43	32	8
Lincoln	36	25	1
Northampton	26	19	4
Nottingham	63	41	10
Nuneaton	4	3	0
Shrewsbury	20	15	3
Stoke	30	23	4
Walsall	19	10	1
Wellingborough	10	9	1
Wolverhampton	34	17	8
Worcester	8	7	0
North East	489	326	68
Barnsley	15	9	2
Bedlington	9	7	0
Bradford	54	36	8
Darlington	29	20	4
Doncaster	14	5	2
Durham	20	15	4
Gateshead	3	1	1
Grimsby	12	5	4
Huddersfield	1	1	0
Hull	23	16	5
Leeds	30	8	12
Newcastle	16	7	5
North Shields	3	2	0
Scarborough	9	5	2
Sheffield	71	52	3
South Shields	19	11	4
Sunderland	40	29	3
Teesside	67	61	1
Wakefield	47	32	6
York	7	4	2
North West	535	372	87
Barrow	5	4	0
Birkenhead	32	19	7
Blackburn	26	17	6
Blackpool	19	10	2
Bolton	30	20	5
Burnley	14	11	2
Carlisle	9	3	4
Chester	20	14	4
Lancaster	6	6	0
Liverpool	70	45	12
Manchester	113	89	14
Preston	14	9	2
Rochdale	40	25	10
St Helens	42	27	9
Stockport	60	49	4
Wigan	31	21	6
Workington	4	3	0
Scotland	8	2	3
Ayr	2	1	0
Dundee	1	0	0
Edinburgh	2	0	2
Glasgow	1	0	0
Inverness	1	0	1
Kirkcaldy	1	1	0
South East	555	427	52
Ashford	33	24	3
Basildon	25	15	5
Bedford	20	16	1
Brighton	46	36	2
Cambridge	10	4	6
Chatham	47	41	4
Chelmsford	38	28	4
Eastbourne	4	3	0
Hastings	13	10	1
High Wycombe	27	18	5
Ipswich	30	23	2
Kings Lynn	12	10	2
Luton	27	26	0
Margate	15	14	1
Milton Keynes	14	8	3
Norwich	46	37	3
Oxford	23	18	1
Peterborough	19	14	3
Reading	26	23	0
Southend	8	4	3
Stevenage	12	8	1
Watford	60	47	2
South West	394	266	45
Unallocated ³	10	6	2
Aldershot	26	20	2
Barnstaple	3	1	0
Bristol	79	52	9
Exeter	13	4	3
Gloucester	27	15	4
Havant	48	33	6
Newport IOW	13	11	1
Newton Abbot	12	8	0
Plymouth	21	15	2
Poole	30	23	2
Salisbury	3	0	1
Southampton	36	26	5
Swindon	24	19	2
Taunton	21	17	2
Truro	16	9	4
Worle	12	7	0
Wales	247	148	35
Aberystwyth	3	3	0
Caernarfon	3	1	2
Cardiff	115	61	18
Carmarthen	1	0	1
Haverfordwest	4	0	3
Langstone, Newport	45	33	3
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	13	10	1
Port Talbot	15	9	2
Prestatyn	16	13	0
Swansea	9	3	4
Welshpool	1	0	0
Wrexham	21	14	1
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	1	0	0
National	3418	2361	454

Employment and Support Allowance⁴at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	380	158	28
East London	116	59	4
Enfield	2	0	0
Fox Court	149	47	17
Hatton Cross	19	8	3
Romford	24	12	2
Sutton	70	32	2
Midlands	667	351	88
Birmingham	112	57	19
Boston	21	11	1
Chesterfield	33	14	7
Coventry	48	29	5
Derby	48	26	6
Hereford	9	4	2
Kidderminster	13	8	2
Leicester	69	44	7
Lincoln	17	8	1
Northampton	32	14	4
Nottingham	65	31	12
Nuneaton	7	2	0
Shrewsbury	38	21	7
Stoke	49	29	0
Walsall	25	13	4
Wellingborough	11	6	1
Wolverhampton	56	25	8
Worcester	14	9	2
North East	468	188	62
Barnsley	18	7	5
Bedlington	14	2	3
Bradford	41	17	3
Darlington	23	8	2
Doncaster	17	8	2
Durham	22	8	4
Gateshead	5	0	0
Grimsby	19	7	2
Hull	20	15	0
Leeds	20	7	1
Newcastle	25	9	3
North Shields	19	3	5
Scarborough	12	4	4
Sheffield	40	15	6
South Shields	27	8	1
Sunderland	38	20	3
Teesside	49	25	6
Wakefield	42	18	7
York	17	7	5
North West	323	82	72
Barrow	5	0	1
Birkenhead	9	1	2
Blackburn	13	3	3
Blackpool	13	1	4
Bolton	21	6	4
Burnley	7	0	3
Carlisle	9	1	1
Chester	25	5	6
Lancaster	7	3	0
Liverpool	38	16	7
Manchester	50	15	12
Preston	4	2	1
Rochdale	28	6	5
St Helens	21	1	2
Stockport	40	17	9
Wigan	24	4	9
Workington	9	1	3
Scotland	214	20	70
Aberdeen	13	0	3
Ayr	17	1	6
Campbeltown Centre	1	0	0
Dumfries (Cairndale)	9	0	7
Dundee	12	0	3
Dunfermline	5	0	1
Edinburgh	27	1	15
Galashiels	6	2	1
Glasgow	50	6	18
Greenock	12	3	0
Hamilton	19	3	3
Inverness	14	0	6
Kilmarnock	2	0	1
Kirkcaldy	8	2	2
Lerwick	2	0	0
Stirling	17	2	4
South East	420	209	48
Ashford	20	10	1
Basildon	16	7	2
Bedford	13	7	1
Brighton	39	20	6
Cambridge	11	5	1
Chatham	16	8	3
Chelmsford	37	18	3
Eastbourne	2	2	0
Hastings	9	3	4
High Wycombe	19	8	1
Ipswich	25	14	1
Kings Lynn	15	7	3
Luton	22	13	1
Margate	4	1	0
Milton Keynes	9	5	1
Norwich	36	17	5
Oxford	21	13	3
Peterborough	32	12	3
Reading	34	19	4
Southend	2	2	0
Stevenage	9	6	1
Watford	29	12	4
South West	490	295	15
Unallocated ³	14	8	3
Aldershot	31	24	0
Barnstaple	6	4	0
Bristol	80	42	4
Exeter	12	5	1
Gloucester	35	21	0
Havant	65	43	1
Newport IOW	27	21	2
Newton Abbot	26	15	0
Plymouth	31	19	0
Poole	32	25	1
Salisbury	7	3	0
Southampton	49	26	1
Swindon	17	8	2
Taunton	22	12	0
Truro	21	12	0
Worle	15	7	0
Wales	434	278	13
Aberystwyth	10	5	3
Caernarfon	10	6	1
Cardiff	155	108	3
Carmarthen	10	6	0
Haverfordwest	13	8	0
Langstone, Newport	88	55	1
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	23	15	0
Port Talbot	37	26	0
Prestatyn	24	14	2
Swansea	27	11	0
Welshpool	13	6	3
Wrexham	23	17	0
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	3	0	2
National	3399	1581	398

Universal Credit⁵at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	2659	1361	215
East London	566	294	57
Enfield	8	2	1
Fox Court	1468	754	94
Hatton Cross	102	40	13
Romford	169	85	34
Sutton	346	186	16
Midlands	2602	1489	406
Birmingham	713	381	142
Boston	51	34	7
Chesterfield	62	34	11
Coventry	202	125	14
Derby	159	87	31
Hereford	21	16	0
Kidderminster	20	15	2
Leicester	265	160	29
Lincoln	123	74	19
Northampton	126	82	16
Nottingham	253	148	50
Nuneaton	11	7	0
Shrewsbury	78	45	7
Stoke	99	55	9
Walsall	116	64	15
Wellingborough	43	29	6
Wolverhampton	218	109	44
Worcester	42	24	4
North East	2007	1012	385
Barnsley	55	26	13
Bedlington	46	20	15
Berwick	5	3	0
Bradford	208	118	30
Darlington	70	26	19
Doncaster	84	31	18
Durham	40	17	7
Gateshead	24	11	10
Grimsby	69	41	11
Huddersfield	3	0	0
Hull	108	62	16
Leeds	173	68	30
Newcastle	229	109	48
North Shields	45	16	9
Scarborough	49	24	15
Sheffield	160	67	40
South Shields	71	40	13
Sunderland	124	79	12
Teesside	227	137	37
Wakefield	170	88	32
York	47	29	10
North West	1512	572	308
Barrow	12	6	1
Birkenhead	34	15	5
Blackburn	33	15	2
Blackpool	54	13	10
Bolton	107	32	24
Burnley	65	29	8
Carlisle	29	14	4
Chester	61	17	6
Lancaster	27	13	3
Liverpool	179	49	34
Manchester	467	226	112
Preston	35	7	8
Rochdale	91	23	17
St Helens	79	34	13
Stockport	141	45	43
Wigan	85	29	17
Workington	13	5	1
Scotland	658	187	219
Aberdeen	33	8	15
Ayr	40	12	13
Dumfries (Cairndale)	13	1	5
Dundee	44	10	13
Dunfermline	14	3	2
Edinburgh	120	31	40
Galashiels	14	6	3
Glasgow	206	64	71
Greenock	25	6	10
Hamilton	59	17	19
Inverness	22	3	9
Kilmarnock	2	0	0
Kirkcaldy	22	9	4
Kirkwall	1	0	1
Lerwick	1	0	1
Lewis	2	0	1
Oban	4	1	2
Stirling	29	13	9
Stranraer	3	2	0
Wick	4	1	1
South East	2002	1053	321
Ashford	117	47	28
Basildon	70	24	19
Bedford	48	30	6
Brighton	173	76	35
Cambridge	68	33	11
Chatham	70	27	21
Chelmsford	107	62	11
Eastbourne	26	15	3
Hastings	43	27	8
High Wycombe	125	70	14
Ipswich	89	54	8
Kings Lynn	36	18	12
Luton	110	65	16
Margate	39	18	8
Milton Keynes	48	27	6
Norwich	145	86	22
Oxford	111	66	13
Peterborough	91	45	14
Reading	141	73	21
Southend	65	37	16
Stevenage	45	27	2
Watford	235	126	27
South West	1744	1121	65
Unallocated ³	43	26	2
Aldershot	120	74	5
Barnstaple	24	15	0
Bristol	342	219	11
Exeter	59	32	0
Gloucester	136	99	7
Havant	187	133	5
Newport IOW	49	35	4
Newton Abbot	61	34	4
Plymouth	84	52	0
Poole	159	96	9
Salisbury	15	6	1
Southampton	162	106	5
Swindon	108	71	5
Taunton	71	42	0
Truro	87	58	3
Worle	37	23	4
Wales	1019	712	62
Aberystwyth	16	8	1
Caernarfon	53	32	6
Cardiff	389	277	18
Carmarthen	20	14	0
Haverfordwest	28	19	1
Langstone, Newport	179	133	9
Llandrindod Wells	3	3	0
Llangefni	27	20	1
Port Talbot	91	68	3
Prestatyn	74	46	9
Swansea	58	43	3
Welshpool	14	8	3
Wrexham	67	41	8
National	14203	7507	1981

1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Clams (Reassessments)

2. Data pulled 23/4/2024

3. Unallocated relates to appeals that have not yet been allocated to a venue.

5. Universal Credit was introduced on 29 April 2013 in selected areas of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and has been gradually rolled out to the rest of the UK from October 2013.

Written Question

Universal Credit: Appeals

Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals relating to Universal Credit claims are awaiting a hearing (a) nationally, (b) by region, (c) by Tribunal Office and (d) by hearing venue; what the average length of time between such appeals being (i) lodged and (ii) heard is (A) nationally, (B) by region, (C) by Tribunal Office and (D) by hearing venue; and in how many cases the length of time waited has exceeded this average (1) nationally, (2) by region, (3) by Tribunal Office and (4) by hearing venue as of 22 April 2024.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Information about the average length of time between appeals being lodged and heard; and in how many case the length of time waited has exceeded this average is not held centrally.

Personal Independence Payment¹ at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	6804	3861	980
Bexleyheath	1	1	0
East London	1543	905	234
Enfield	27	11	3
Fox Court	3318	1846	483
Hatton Cross	243	98	72
Romford	512	353	67
Sutton	1160	647	121
Midlands	9330	5052	1369
Birmingham	1984	1007	354
Boston	202	134	25
Chesterfield	457	255	57
Coventry	698	442	71
Derby	701	417	91
Hereford	101	43	20
Kidderminster	144	60	30
Leicester	813	415	108
Lincoln	427	258	46
Northampton	488	328	56
Nottingham	1135	610	168
Nuneaton	99	58	13
Shrewsbury	333	185	46
Stoke	427	228	63
Walsall	316	136	66
Wellingborough	196	114	22
Wolverhampton	637	262	110
Worcester	172	100	23
North East	7061	3468	1316
Barnsley	193	71	38
Bedlington	159	66	44
Berwick	14	6	3
Bradford	691	334	131
Darlington	356	195	49
Doncaster	316	142	51
Durham	333	169	77
Gateshead	78	33	21
Grimsby	186	80	37
Huddersfield	32	10	8
Hull	342	181	65
Leeds	514	165	132
Newcastle	332	122	80
North Shields	134	34	46
Scarborough	158	75	29
Sheffield	737	381	119
South Shields	233	112	53
Sunderland	545	349	53
Teesside	871	581	85
Wakefield	687	322	138
York	150	40	57
North West	7362	4250	1066
Barrow	84	53	10
Birkenhead	355	223	43
Blackburn	311	180	58
Blackpool	355	189	69
Bolton	414	231	69
Burnley	263	151	31
Carlisle	165	86	32
Chester	500	315	65
Lancaster	105	66	1
Liverpool	1023	495	155
Manchester	1319	821	164
Preston	248	123	58
Rochdale	436	216	90
St Helens	512	301	73
Stockport	699	451	68
Wigan	427	267	49
Workington	146	82	31
Scotland	263	68	114
Aberdeen	3	1	1
Ayr	11	1	4
Dumfries (Cairndale)	3	1	1
Dundee	6	0	2
Dunfermline	7	3	3
Edinburgh	70	19	36
Galashiels	6	1	3
Glasgow	89	24	36
Greenock	5	1	4
Hamilton	24	3	6
Inverness	7	4	1
Kilmarnock	2	1	1
Kirkcaldy	22	8	11
Oban	2	1	1
Stirling	4	0	2
Stranraer	1	0	1
Wick	1	0	1
South East	7696	4930	574
Ashford	556	349	38
Basildon	264	144	43
Bedford	200	133	17
Brighton	842	541	40
Cambridge	238	122	30
Chatham	466	355	23
Chelmsford	408	265	33
Eastbourne	98	64	8
Hastings	243	177	10
High Wycombe	321	192	32
Ipswich	411	283	22
Kings Lynn	181	91	13
Luton	363	229	16
Margate	257	162	20
Milton Keynes	212	119	27
Norwich	659	470	43
Oxford	311	216	27
Peterborough	307	165	33
Reading	361	224	21
Southend	95	33	21
Stevenage	163	94	14
Watford	740	502	43
South West	5916	3428	625
Unallocated ³	177	115	11
Aldershot	289	162	38
Barnstaple	80	36	8
Bristol	1167	724	122
Exeter	224	80	49
Gloucester	432	257	38
Havant	657	440	45
Newport IOW	222	153	13
Newton Abbot	246	126	29
Plymouth	384	193	55
Poole	441	249	49
Salisbury	46	10	10
Southampton	606	401	40
Swindon	320	218	23
Taunton	239	134	24
Truro	255	68	59
Worle	131	62	12
Wales	4181	2180	514
Aberystwyth	49	24	6
Caernarfon	101	23	15
Cardiff	1746	949	250
Carmarthen	72	15	19
Haverfordwest	105	39	16
Langstone, Newport	793	459	76
Llandrindod Wells	32	16	8
Llangefni	199	121	18
Port Talbot	305	112	35
Prestatyn	277	170	13
Swansea	194	75	25
Welshpool	52	31	8
Wrexham	256	146	25
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	10	4	0
National	48623	27241	6558

Disability Living Allowance at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	592	426	73
East London	149	114	22
Enfield	2	2	0
Fox Court	264	180	36
Hatton Cross	20	14	3
Romford	54	41	4
Sutton	103	75	8
Midlands	597	394	91
Birmingham	164	84	39
Boston	10	9	0
Chesterfield	26	20	2
Coventry	46	35	4
Derby	40	32	5
Hereford	7	5	0
Kidderminster	11	8	1
Leicester	43	32	8
Lincoln	36	25	1
Northampton	26	19	4
Nottingham	63	41	10
Nuneaton	4	3	0
Shrewsbury	20	15	3
Stoke	30	23	4
Walsall	19	10	1
Wellingborough	10	9	1
Wolverhampton	34	17	8
Worcester	8	7	0
North East	489	326	68
Barnsley	15	9	2
Bedlington	9	7	0
Bradford	54	36	8
Darlington	29	20	4
Doncaster	14	5	2
Durham	20	15	4
Gateshead	3	1	1
Grimsby	12	5	4
Huddersfield	1	1	0
Hull	23	16	5
Leeds	30	8	12
Newcastle	16	7	5
North Shields	3	2	0
Scarborough	9	5	2
Sheffield	71	52	3
South Shields	19	11	4
Sunderland	40	29	3
Teesside	67	61	1
Wakefield	47	32	6
York	7	4	2
North West	535	372	87
Barrow	5	4	0
Birkenhead	32	19	7
Blackburn	26	17	6
Blackpool	19	10	2
Bolton	30	20	5
Burnley	14	11	2
Carlisle	9	3	4
Chester	20	14	4
Lancaster	6	6	0
Liverpool	70	45	12
Manchester	113	89	14
Preston	14	9	2
Rochdale	40	25	10
St Helens	42	27	9
Stockport	60	49	4
Wigan	31	21	6
Workington	4	3	0
Scotland	8	2	3
Ayr	2	1	0
Dundee	1	0	0
Edinburgh	2	0	2
Glasgow	1	0	0
Inverness	1	0	1
Kirkcaldy	1	1	0
South East	555	427	52
Ashford	33	24	3
Basildon	25	15	5
Bedford	20	16	1
Brighton	46	36	2
Cambridge	10	4	6
Chatham	47	41	4
Chelmsford	38	28	4
Eastbourne	4	3	0
Hastings	13	10	1
High Wycombe	27	18	5
Ipswich	30	23	2
Kings Lynn	12	10	2
Luton	27	26	0
Margate	15	14	1
Milton Keynes	14	8	3
Norwich	46	37	3
Oxford	23	18	1
Peterborough	19	14	3
Reading	26	23	0
Southend	8	4	3
Stevenage	12	8	1
Watford	60	47	2
South West	394	266	45
Unallocated ³	10	6	2
Aldershot	26	20	2
Barnstaple	3	1	0
Bristol	79	52	9
Exeter	13	4	3
Gloucester	27	15	4
Havant	48	33	6
Newport IOW	13	11	1
Newton Abbot	12	8	0
Plymouth	21	15	2
Poole	30	23	2
Salisbury	3	0	1
Southampton	36	26	5
Swindon	24	19	2
Taunton	21	17	2
Truro	16	9	4
Worle	12	7	0
Wales	247	148	35
Aberystwyth	3	3	0
Caernarfon	3	1	2
Cardiff	115	61	18
Carmarthen	1	0	1
Haverfordwest	4	0	3
Langstone, Newport	45	33	3
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	13	10	1
Port Talbot	15	9	2
Prestatyn	16	13	0
Swansea	9	3	4
Welshpool	1	0	0
Wrexham	21	14	1
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	1	0	0
National	3418	2361	454

Employment and Support Allowance⁴at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	380	158	28
East London	116	59	4
Enfield	2	0	0
Fox Court	149	47	17
Hatton Cross	19	8	3
Romford	24	12	2
Sutton	70	32	2
Midlands	667	351	88
Birmingham	112	57	19
Boston	21	11	1
Chesterfield	33	14	7
Coventry	48	29	5
Derby	48	26	6
Hereford	9	4	2
Kidderminster	13	8	2
Leicester	69	44	7
Lincoln	17	8	1
Northampton	32	14	4
Nottingham	65	31	12
Nuneaton	7	2	0
Shrewsbury	38	21	7
Stoke	49	29	0
Walsall	25	13	4
Wellingborough	11	6	1
Wolverhampton	56	25	8
Worcester	14	9	2
North East	468	188	62
Barnsley	18	7	5
Bedlington	14	2	3
Bradford	41	17	3
Darlington	23	8	2
Doncaster	17	8	2
Durham	22	8	4
Gateshead	5	0	0
Grimsby	19	7	2
Hull	20	15	0
Leeds	20	7	1
Newcastle	25	9	3
North Shields	19	3	5
Scarborough	12	4	4
Sheffield	40	15	6
South Shields	27	8	1
Sunderland	38	20	3
Teesside	49	25	6
Wakefield	42	18	7
York	17	7	5
North West	323	82	72
Barrow	5	0	1
Birkenhead	9	1	2
Blackburn	13	3	3
Blackpool	13	1	4
Bolton	21	6	4
Burnley	7	0	3
Carlisle	9	1	1
Chester	25	5	6
Lancaster	7	3	0
Liverpool	38	16	7
Manchester	50	15	12
Preston	4	2	1
Rochdale	28	6	5
St Helens	21	1	2
Stockport	40	17	9
Wigan	24	4	9
Workington	9	1	3
Scotland	214	20	70
Aberdeen	13	0	3
Ayr	17	1	6
Campbeltown Centre	1	0	0
Dumfries (Cairndale)	9	0	7
Dundee	12	0	3
Dunfermline	5	0	1
Edinburgh	27	1	15
Galashiels	6	2	1
Glasgow	50	6	18
Greenock	12	3	0
Hamilton	19	3	3
Inverness	14	0	6
Kilmarnock	2	0	1
Kirkcaldy	8	2	2
Lerwick	2	0	0
Stirling	17	2	4
South East	420	209	48
Ashford	20	10	1
Basildon	16	7	2
Bedford	13	7	1
Brighton	39	20	6
Cambridge	11	5	1
Chatham	16	8	3
Chelmsford	37	18	3
Eastbourne	2	2	0
Hastings	9	3	4
High Wycombe	19	8	1
Ipswich	25	14	1
Kings Lynn	15	7	3
Luton	22	13	1
Margate	4	1	0
Milton Keynes	9	5	1
Norwich	36	17	5
Oxford	21	13	3
Peterborough	32	12	3
Reading	34	19	4
Southend	2	2	0
Stevenage	9	6	1
Watford	29	12	4
South West	490	295	15
Unallocated ³	14	8	3
Aldershot	31	24	0
Barnstaple	6	4	0
Bristol	80	42	4
Exeter	12	5	1
Gloucester	35	21	0
Havant	65	43	1
Newport IOW	27	21	2
Newton Abbot	26	15	0
Plymouth	31	19	0
Poole	32	25	1
Salisbury	7	3	0
Southampton	49	26	1
Swindon	17	8	2
Taunton	22	12	0
Truro	21	12	0
Worle	15	7	0
Wales	434	278	13
Aberystwyth	10	5	3
Caernarfon	10	6	1
Cardiff	155	108	3
Carmarthen	10	6	0
Haverfordwest	13	8	0
Langstone, Newport	88	55	1
Llandrindod Wells	1	1	0
Llangefni	23	15	0
Port Talbot	37	26	0
Prestatyn	24	14	2
Swansea	27	11	0
Welshpool	13	6	3
Wrexham	23	17	0
SSCS Regional Centre Not Known	3	0	2
National	3399	1581	398

Universal Credit⁵at December 23²
Region / Venue	Total Open Caseload	Ready To List	Listed For Hearing
London	2659	1361	215
East London	566	294	57
Enfield	8	2	1
Fox Court	1468	754	94
Hatton Cross	102	40	13
Romford	169	85	34
Sutton	346	186	16
Midlands	2602	1489	406
Birmingham	713	381	142
Boston	51	34	7
Chesterfield	62	34	11
Coventry	202	125	14
Derby	159	87	31
Hereford	21	16	0
Kidderminster	20	15	2
Leicester	265	160	29
Lincoln	123	74	19
Northampton	126	82	16
Nottingham	253	148	50
Nuneaton	11	7	0
Shrewsbury	78	45	7
Stoke	99	55	9
Walsall	116	64	15
Wellingborough	43	29	6
Wolverhampton	218	109	44
Worcester	42	24	4
North East	2007	1012	385
Barnsley	55	26	13
Bedlington	46	20	15
Berwick	5	3	0
Bradford	208	118	30
Darlington	70	26	19
Doncaster	84	31	18
Durham	40	17	7
Gateshead	24	11	10
Grimsby	69	41	11
Huddersfield	3	0	0
Hull	108	62	16
Leeds	173	68	30
Newcastle	229	109	48
North Shields	45	16	9
Scarborough	49	24	15
Sheffield	160	67	40
South Shields	71	40	13
Sunderland	124	79	12
Teesside	227	137	37
Wakefield	170	88	32
York	47	29	10
North West	1512	572	308
Barrow	12	6	1
Birkenhead	34	15	5
Blackburn	33	15	2
Blackpool	54	13	10
Bolton	107	32	24
Burnley	65	29	8
Carlisle	29	14	4
Chester	61	17	6
Lancaster	27	13	3
Liverpool	179	49	34
Manchester	467	226	112
Preston	35	7	8
Rochdale	91	23	17
St Helens	79	34	13
Stockport	141	45	43
Wigan	85	29	17
Workington	13	5	1
Scotland	658	187	219
Aberdeen	33	8	15
Ayr	40	12	13
Dumfries (Cairndale)	13	1	5
Dundee	44	10	13
Dunfermline	14	3	2
Edinburgh	120	31	40
Galashiels	14	6	3
Glasgow	206	64	71
Greenock	25	6	10
Hamilton	59	17	19
Inverness	22	3	9
Kilmarnock	2	0	0
Kirkcaldy	22	9	4
Kirkwall	1	0	1
Lerwick	1	0	1
Lewis	2	0	1
Oban	4	1	2
Stirling	29	13	9
Stranraer	3	2	0
Wick	4	1	1
South East	2002	1053	321
Ashford	117	47	28
Basildon	70	24	19
Bedford	48	30	6
Brighton	173	76	35
Cambridge	68	33	11
Chatham	70	27	21
Chelmsford	107	62	11
Eastbourne	26	15	3
Hastings	43	27	8
High Wycombe	125	70	14
Ipswich	89	54	8
Kings Lynn	36	18	12
Luton	110	65	16
Margate	39	18	8
Milton Keynes	48	27	6
Norwich	145	86	22
Oxford	111	66	13
Peterborough	91	45	14
Reading	141	73	21
Southend	65	37	16
Stevenage	45	27	2
Watford	235	126	27
South West	1744	1121	65
Unallocated ³	43	26	2
Aldershot	120	74	5
Barnstaple	24	15	0
Bristol	342	219	11
Exeter	59	32	0
Gloucester	136	99	7
Havant	187	133	5
Newport IOW	49	35	4
Newton Abbot	61	34	4
Plymouth	84	52	0
Poole	159	96	9
Salisbury	15	6	1
Southampton	162	106	5
Swindon	108	71	5
Taunton	71	42	0
Truro	87	58	3
Worle	37	23	4
Wales	1019	712	62
Aberystwyth	16	8	1
Caernarfon	53	32	6
Cardiff	389	277	18
Carmarthen	20	14	0
Haverfordwest	28	19	1
Langstone, Newport	179	133	9
Llandrindod Wells	3	3	0
Llangefni	27	20	1
Port Talbot	91	68	3
Prestatyn	74	46	9
Swansea	58	43	3
Welshpool	14	8	3
Wrexham	67	41	8
National	14203	7507	1981

1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Clams (Reassessments)

2. Data pulled 23/4/2024

3. Unallocated relates to appeals that have not yet been allocated to a venue.

5. Universal Credit was introduced on 29 April 2013 in selected areas of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and has been gradually rolled out to the rest of the UK from October 2013.

Written Question

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the longest period of time that a claimant has had to wait for their benefit decision to be heard at tribunal (a) nationally and (b) by region in the last five years.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Written Question

Senior Courts Costs Office

Wednesday 26th April 2023

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases are awaiting review at the Senior Courts Costs Office; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of the number of cases on the work of the Court of Protection.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) assess bills of cost arising from proceedings in the High Court, London County Courts and Tribunals and the Court of Protection.

The only cases currently being dealt with by the SCCO outside target timescales are those arising from Court of Protection proceedings.

As of 14 April 2023, there were 5,975 Court of Protection bills of cost awaiting assessment.  This is made up of 5,544 bills under £35,000 with waiting times of 38 weeks and 431 bills with a value of between £35,000 and £100,000 with waiting times of 47 weeks.  The current time taken to issue a certificate in Court of Protection cases is 20 days from the assessment having been agreed.  The party then submits the certificate to the Office of Public Guardian to authorise payment from the protected party’s fund.

Solicitors are not required to wait until the SCCO has assessed their bill and issued the certificate before receiving payment for costs. Court of Protection Rules enable solicitors to reimburse themselves for work undertaken in the first three-quarters of the year up to a maximum of 75% of the estimated annual charges. The total figure approved by the SCCO is adjusted to reflect any such payments made during the course of the year.

The SCCO is running a pilot in which professional deputies appointed by the Court of Protection, their legal representatives and other legal professionals involved in Court of Protection cases, may file their bills in respect of general management and other applications electronically where the relevant authority has been obtained from the Court of Protection. The pilot of this electronic and expedited process is due to conclude on 28 April 2023.

HMCTS is committed to reducing the time taken to deal with Court of Protection Bills and has also reallocated resource to help with this.

Written Question

Senior Courts Costs Office

Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made the impact of delays at the Senior Courts Costs Office on solicitors' firms receiving payment for (a) all cases and (b) cases at the Court of Protection.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) assess bills of cost arising from proceedings in the High Court, London County Courts and Tribunals and the Court of Protection. They only make the actual payment of costs in Legal Aid cases.

There are two stages to process by which solicitors’ firms receive payment following the submission of bills of cost. The first stage involves an assessment of the costs submitted to the SCCO. The second stage involves the issue of a certificate that provides the authority for the payment to be made. The certificate is only issued when the assessment has been agreed by the relevant parties.

All bills of costs arising from High Court or London County Court and Tribunal proceedings are currently being assessed within the statutory timelines. Certificates in these cases are being issued within 5 days of the assessment having been accepted.

As at the 14 April 2023 the number of Court of Protection bills waiting for assessment was 5,975. This is made of up 5,544 bills under £35,000 with waiting times of 38 weeks and 431 bills with a value of between £35,000 and £100,000 with waiting times of 47 weeks. The current time taken to issue a certificate is 20 days from the assessment having been agreed. The party then submits the certificate to the Office of Public Guardian to authorise payment from the protected party’s funds.

Court of Protection Rules enable solicitors to reimburse themselves for work undertaken in the first three-quarters of the year up to a maximum of 75% of the estimated annual charges. At the end of the year the bill is submitted to the SCCO for assessment. The total figure approved by the SCCO is adjusted to reflect any such payments on account.

HMCTS is committed to reducing the time taken to deal with Court of Protection Bills and has also reallocated resource to help with this.

Written Question

Senior Courts Costs Office

Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how cases are awaiting review at the Senior Courts Costs Office; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce this backlog and the processing time of thosecases.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) assess bills of cost arising from proceedings in the High Court, London County Courts and Tribunals and the Court of Protection.

All legal aid work and all bills of costs arising from party v party cases which are below £50,000 are assessed within 6 weeks of receipt. There are no outstanding cases within these categories awaiting assessment.

Bills from party v party cases which are over £50,000 must be referred to a Judge. All cases within this category have been listed for a hearing.

As at the 14 April 2023 the number of Court of Protection bills waiting for assessment was 5,975. This is made of up 5,544 bills under £35,000 with waiting times of 38 weeks and 431 bills with a value of between £35,000 and £100,000 with waiting times of 47 weeks. Court of Protection bills in excess of £100,000, which are very small in number, are listed for hearing before a Judge.

HMCTS is committed to reducing the time taken to deal with Court of Protection Bills and has also reallocated resource to help with this.

Written Question

Marriage

Friday 10th September 2021

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list of all (a) substantial and (b) minor reforms his Department has made to marriage law since the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013.

Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for marriage law in England and Wales. Marriage law in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

The Government has received a number of representations about making separate provision for humanist marriage in England and Wales. As we have made clear, a Law Commission report due later this year is expected to present options for wholesale reform to the law governing marriage ceremonies, which the Government will consider carefully. Options being explored by the Law Commission include offering couples greater flexibility to form their own ceremonies, allowing the ceremony to take place in a much broader range of locations and to provide a framework that could allow non-religious belief organisations (such as Humanists) and/or independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings.

The Government will decide on provision for non-religious belief marriage on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.

Since 2013, the main reform related to marriage has been the recent amendment to the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005. This follows a commitment made in 2019 to accelerate plans to allow civil weddings and civil partnerships to be held outside through secondary legislation. The change took effect on 1 July and will gives more options to couples and the sector in terms of how civil weddings and civil partnerships are celebrated by allowing all aspects of the ceremony to take place outdoors, within the boundary of the land of which the built premises form part. The proposed location for the outdoor proceedings must be assessed to be seemly and dignified.

This change will provide greater flexibility especially during the pandemic when there are important public health considerations to take into account. This is not radical reform and ultimately it does not change the current law’s focus on premises.

These are time-limited amendments to the regulations which came into force on 1 July 2021 and will expire at the end of 5th April 2022. A consultation will be undertaken in the Autumn of 2021 to consider the practical impacts of this policy in detail and to enable a later amending Statutory Instrument which is not time limited. A full equality impact assessment will be undertaken on completion of the consultation and will be published in due course.

Amending the 2005 Regulations will benefit many thousands of couples who seek a civil marriage or civil partnership formation on approved premises. The power to make provision in regulations for approved premises is set out in statute and extends only to civil marriage and civil partnership formation.

Written Question

Marriage: Humanism

Friday 10th September 2021

Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) assessments of the potential merits his Department has made and (b) steps his Department has taken to legally recognise humanist marriages since the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013; and if he will present that information in the form of a timeline.

Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for marriage law in England and Wales. Marriage law in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

The Government will decide on provision for non-religious belief marriage on the basis of the Law Commission's recommendations.