Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many claimants (a) nationally, (b) in Leeds and (c) in Leeds West who are appealing against the refusal of their personal independence payment application have been waiting more than (i) three, (ii) six and (iii) 12 months for a tribunal hearing.

This information is not held centrally.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) records numbers, waiting times and outcomes of appeals by benefit type, but will not necessarily identify Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals made specifically because the application for that benefit was refused. PIP consists of a daily living and a mobility component, both or either of which can be paid at standard or enhanced rate. Therefore, claimants for PIP may have claimed for both components, and only been awarded one, or sought the enhanced rate and only been awarded the standard rate. A claim may be successful, but may not have been at the level sought. HMCTS is unable to isolate such appeals.

Information about the volumes and clearance times of PIP appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Latest figures for PIP (to December 2018) indicate that since it was introduced, 3.9 million decisions have been made. Of these, 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned at Tribunals.