Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of jobseeker's allowance appeals were represented at tribunal between (a) 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014; and what proportion of such claimants were successful.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The First-tier Tribunal - Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits including Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA).
(1) The following table shows (i) the proportion of appeals against JSA which were represented and (ii) the proportion of those appeals which were found in favour of the appellant for the period (a) 1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April – 31 December 2013 (the latest period for which figures have been published).
Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) Appeals
| ||
April 2012 – March2013 | April –December 2013 | |
1Number of JSA appeals disposed of at Tribunal Hearing |
33,976 |
32,635 |
2Proportion attended by representative (%) |
2% |
3% |
Proportion attended by representative where the decision is in favour of the appellant (%) |
60% |
64% |
1 includes Oral & Paper hearings
2 Oral appeal hearings attended by a representative.
A combination of reasons can lead to a decision being overturned on appeal. For example a hearing may generate additional evidence, in particular oral evidence provided by the appellant at the hearing.
(2) Information on appeals received by the Tribunal against decisions made about claims for JSA is published by the Ministry of Justice in Tribunal Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report, which includes the number of appeals received in the periods (a) 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April to 31 December 2013, can be viewed at
Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against jobseeker's allowance decisions went to tribunal between (a) 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The First-tier Tribunal - Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits including Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA).
(1) The following table shows (i) the proportion of appeals against JSA which were represented and (ii) the proportion of those appeals which were found in favour of the appellant for the period (a) 1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April – 31 December 2013 (the latest period for which figures have been published).
Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA) Appeals
| ||
April 2012 – March2013 | April –December 2013 | |
1Number of JSA appeals disposed of at Tribunal Hearing |
33,976 |
32,635 |
2Proportion attended by representative (%) |
2% |
3% |
Proportion attended by representative where the decision is in favour of the appellant (%) |
60% |
64% |
1 includes Oral & Paper hearings
2 Oral appeal hearings attended by a representative.
A combination of reasons can lead to a decision being overturned on appeal. For example a hearing may generate additional evidence, in particular oral evidence provided by the appellant at the hearing.
(2) Information on appeals received by the Tribunal against decisions made about claims for JSA is published by the Ministry of Justice in Tribunal Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report, which includes the number of appeals received in the periods (a) 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 and (b) 1 April to 31 December 2013, can be viewed at