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Improved performance for tribunal users in service's first year
Improved standards of service and planning for major structural changes have been achieved successfully in the Tribunals Service's first year, says its annual report published today.
Almost 570,000 tribunal cases were dealt with in 2006-07, of which 254,000 were appeals against social security and child support decisions. A further 166,000 were claims appealing asylum and immigration rulings and a further 104,000 were employment claims and appeals. In these three largest areas, waiting times for hearings were reduced in 2006-07. Reduced waiting times were also achieved by many of the smaller Tribunals Service (TS) tribunals.
Peter Handcock, Chief Executive of the Tribunals Service, said:
"We committed ourselves in our first year to plan to deliver a real transformation in tribunals, without compromising the existing service on which so many people depend. I believe we have achieved this. We have improved performance significantly across most of our tribunals and have well developed plans to do even more. We have introduced a new leadership and management structure to integrate all of our business, and we have developed a radical new business model which will transform our service over the next five years.
"These are considerable achievements for an organisation in its first year. They reflect our determination to realise the potential benefits of reform for both taxpayer and tribunal user alike."
TS, an agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), was set up in April 2006 to establish, for the first time, a unified administration for the tribunals system. In 2006-07 its focus was on planning the integration and modernisation of the tribunals - many of which were previously sponsored by other government departments - and devising the TS Strategy, published in May, which outlines how it will use the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill to drive forward its transformation. At the same time, the organisation committed to maintain or improve standards of delivery.
Other highlights of the year include:
* Social Security and Child Support Appeals (SSCSA) saw its average time from receipt of appeal to first tribunal hearing fall from 10.4 weeks in 2005-06 to 9.6 weeks in 2006-07, against a target of 11 weeks.
* Some 79.4 per cent of employment tribunal cases had their first hearing within 26 weeks, compared to a target of 75 per cent. This marked an improvement over last year when performance was 78 per cent, and was achieved against a backdrop of a 25 per cent rise in single claims.
* The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal has joint performance targets with the Home Office. The proportion of substantive asylum applications received in 2005-06 that were decided, including final appeal, within six months was, according to provisional figures, 74 per cent, compared to 67 per cent in 2005-06. Final figures will be published by the Home Office later this year.
* The Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel has reduced its number of outstanding appeals, from 4,339 in April 2005 to 2,525 by the end of March 2007. This represents a cut of 42 per cent over two years and 27 per cent in the past year.
* TS retained Charter Mark accreditation in the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. Employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal also successfully completed their annual Charter Mark surveillance. TS also developed and implemented a new TS-wide complaints and compliment scheme.
* Two pilot schemes were launched to test whether alternative dispute resolution techniques can be effective in resolving tribunal cases. One is running in three employment tribunal offices while the second is taking place in two SSCSA offices. SSCSA has also been working with the Disability and Carers Service to improve original decision making, and therefore reduce the number of cases referred to the tribunal.
* TS has developed its capability for reform by devising a new business model for operational delivery, agreeing a new regional management structure and agreeing a financial settlement with HM Treasury and the MoJ for the next four years which includes investment funding to deliver the transformation.
Notes to Editors
1. Copies of the Tribunals Service Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07 are available from http://www.tribunals.gov.uk/publications.htm
2. The TS Strategy 'Delivering the future: one system, one service' was published on May 23. See press notice 1/07 at http://www.tribunals.gov.uk/newsrelease.htm
3. The Tribunals Service is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, formed in April 2006 to provide independent administrative support to central government tribunals and organisations. Some 27 are now supported by the Tribunals Service. They are:
* Adjudicator to HM Land Registry
* Asylum & Immigration
Tribunal
* Asylum Support Tribunal (from 1 April 2007)
*
Care Standards Tribunal (from 1 April 2007)
* Claims
Management Services Tribunal
* The Commissioners Office
*
Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel
* Employment
Tribunals
* Employment Appeal Tribunal
* Financial
Services and Markets Tribunal
* Gambling Appeals
Tribunal
* Gender Recognition Panel
* General
Commissioners of Income Tax
* Information Tribunal
*
Immigration Services Tribunal
* Lands Tribunal
* Mental
Health Review Tribunal
* Pathogen Access Appeals
Commission
* Pensions Appeal Tribunal
* Pensions Regulator
Tribunal
* Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission
*
Social Security and Child Support Appeals Tribunal
* Special
Commissioners of Income Tax
* Special Educational Needs and
Disability Tribunal
* Special Immigration Appeals
Commission
* Transport Tribunal
* VAT and Duties Tribunal.
The purpose of the Tribunals Service is to:
* provide a responsive and efficient tribunals administration;
* contribute to the improvement of the quality of decision-making across Government;
* reform the tribunals justice system for the benefit of its customers and the wider public; and
* promote and protect the independence of the judiciary.
For
more details see http://www.tribunals.gov.uk
