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Dept of Social Security

Answer

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what operational problems in the analytical services division of the Independent Tribunals Service prevented figures being given for social security and medical appeals tribunals in 1995. [19296] Mr. Roger Evans: The Department's analytical services division is responsible for producing and publishing statistical information regarding social security and medical appeal tribunals. It obtains data relating to social security appeals from the Independent Tribunal Service's computer systems. Due to problems with the computer system serving the Independent Tribunal Service's north-west region, data for the final quarter of 1995 were not available for inclusion in the annual publication "Social Security Statistics 1996". Figures for the final quarter are contained in the "Quarterly Social Security Appeal Tribunal Statistics December 1995", a copy of which is available in the Library. Data relating to medical appeal tribunals were not affected by the computer problem. However, owing to competing work priorities, the data for the final quarter of 1995 had not been fully processed by analytical services division when "Social Security Statistics 1996" was due for publication. Figures for the final quarter of 1995 are contained in "Quarterly Medical Appeal Tribunal Statistics", a copy of which is available in the Library.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

19296; 292 c893W

Session

1996-97

Subjects

Statistics Social Security Appeal Tribunal Independent Tribunal Service Medical Appeal Tribunal