Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Audit Office's Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Overview 2021-22, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the number of cases heard at the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal fell between 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Information about waiting times for appeals in the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

The number of cases outstanding in SSCS on 31 March 2021 was 44,185; and on 31 March 2022 it was 47,713 - an increase of 3,528. Receipts for the year 2020/21 were 93,303; and for 2021/22 they were 95,008 - an increase of 1,705 - leaving a net increase of 1,823. A variety of factors can affect the number of cases cleared by the Tribunal including the complexity of the issue in dispute; the availability of panel members assigned to a particular venue; and if an appeal is adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further medical evidence). Any increase to the live load is monitored, and investigated, locally.

The number of cases heard by SSCS fell between 2017/18 and 2021/22 alongside the reduction in appeal receipts.