Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the average waiting time for a First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum); and whether he plans to take steps to reduce this wait.

Information about waiting times for appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (IAC) is routinely published at: Tribunals statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and HMCTS management information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The latest period for which data is available is July to September 2023 (Tribunal Statistics) and December 2023 (HMCTS Management Information). Data for the period October to December 2023 (Tribunal Statistics) will be published on 14 March 2024.

HMCTS continues to invest in improving tribunal productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems and the use of remote hearing technology.

We continue to monitor and review the demand on the First-tier Tribunal (IAC) and will work with the judiciary and HMCTS on any further actions that may be needed.