Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of Tribunal Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2022, published on 9 June 2022, on the proportion of Social Security and Child Support disposals cases in 2021-22 that had the initial decision revised in favour of the claimant, what recent assessment she has made of (i) the reasons for those decisions and (ii) the implications of those decisions for her Department's policies.

The main reasons that decisions are overturned on appeal are: tribunals drawing a different conclusion based on the same evidence, cogent oral evidence given by the individual, or new written evidence provided at the hearing.

It has always been our aim to make the right decision at the earliest opportunity so that claimants do not have to appeal. Consequently, and learning from tribunal decisions, we have introduced a new approach to decision making at both the initial decision and the Mandatory Reconsideration stage, giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact claimants where they think additional evidence may support the claim. A similar approach applies at the appeal stage where new evidence is provided that may alter the decision.