Social Security and Child Support Tribunal

(asked on 21st February 2020) - View Source
Questioner
Marion Fellows Portrait
Marion Fellows
(Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hearings of the (a) first tier and (b) upper tier Social Security and Child Support Tribunals were adjourned in each of the last five years, and for what reasons those hearings were adjourned.

Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Shadow Home Secretary
This question was answered on 2nd March 2020

(1) (a) Data about adjournments for appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS), are published annually, in June, at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. The table below contains a breakdown of the reasons for adjournments.

Number and reasons1 for adjournments in First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) hearings

Financial Years – April to March

2014_2015

2015_2016

2016_2017

2017_2018

2018_2019

Adjournment reason/category

1st Tier Not Ready to Proceed

291

165

~

~

0

Adjourned, All Elements Adjourned

0

0

~

~

0

Adjourned, Element(s) Outstanding

0

0

0

~

~

Admin Not Ready to Proceed

1,119

629

17

38

15

Appellant Not Ready to Proceed

5,507

3,760

63

46

31

Appellant to attend - oral hearing requested - did not attend - no reason

0

316

1,041

1,276

1,785

Appellant to attend - oral hearing requested - did not attend - reason given

0

1,109

3,297

3,319

3,594

Appellant to attend - paper requested or no Enquiry Form returned

0

487

1,828

2,307

2,638

Documents supplied but not before the Tribunal at the hearing

0

107

301

332

335

Evidence or further Response from Respondent required

~

1,124

2,999

3,509

3,451

Evidence or submission from Appellant required

5

720

2,113

2,159

2,147

Further medical evidence essential

0

2,943

11,972

15,755

16,298

Insufficient time to deal with case

0

384

1,320

1,324

1,217

No Interpreter

0

316

1,236

989

1,186

Other administrative errors

0

240

927

1,203

1,226

Other reasons for adjourning

~

1,674

5,974

7,933

7,976

Part Allowed

0

0

~

~

0

Presenting Officer to attend

0

84

212

183

128

Respondent failed to comply with directions

0

46

120

80

51

Tribunal Not Ready to Proceed

20,468

14,161

563

426

278

Adjournments as a % of hearings listed2

17%

17%

17%

18%

20%

1 Prior to November 2015 there were four adjournment categories: First Tier Not Ready to Proceed; Admin Not Ready to Proceed; Appellant Not Ready to Proceed; and Tribunal Not Ready to Proceed. The additional categories as above were introduced from November 2015.

~ Equates to a value of fewer than five.

2 Proportion of listed hearings for the totals are weighted averages.

The data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics where reports were run on a different date.

(1) (b) The data for the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeal Chamber) which hears appeals against decisions made by SSCS are not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

(2) (a) and (b) these data are not held centrally.

The decision to adjourn a hearing is a judicial function. The panel will only proceed when it is

satisfied it has all the evidence it needs to make a fair and just decision and that may

include further medical evidence.

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