Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of benefit appeals to HM Courts and Tribunal Service made against Department of Work and Pensions decisions were overturned on appeal in (a) Wales and (b) Newport East constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Information about the volumes, outcomes, and timeliness of appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at:

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

SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about the outcomes of appeals for hearing venues covering (a) Wales and (b) the Newport East constituency for January – March 2019, the latest period for which data are available.

Decisions on benefit entitlement can be overturned on appeal for a variety of reasons. For instance, further evidence, including evidence in the form of oral testimony, may be provided at the hearing. Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service cannot comment on decisions made by independent tribunal judiciary.

Latest figures (to March 2019) indicate that since Personal Independence Payment was introduced, 4.1 million decisions have been made, and of these, 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned at Tribunals. For Employment and Support Allowance (post Work Capability Assessment) to December 2018, 4.1m decisions have been made and of these 8% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned.