Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the average time taken by the Independent Case Examiner to review cases submitted by claimants; and if she will make a statement.

When the Independent Case Examiner’s Office accepts a complaint for examination; they will initially try resolve it in discussion with the complainant and the relevant business area. If it’s not possible to resolve the complaint, the evidence will be requested and the case will await allocation to an Investigation Case Manager. Cases are dealt with by dedicated teams and are usually brought into investigation in strict date order. Following an examination of the evidence, it may be possible to settle the complaint, if agreement can be reached on actions that satisfy the complainant. If the complaint can’t be settled, the Independent Case Examiner will issue a report detailing findings and any recommendations for redress.

Details of the average time taken to clear complaints accepted for examination by the Independent Case Examiner’s Office, in the current reporting year (April to August 2019), are detailed below: