Written statement made by Lord Falconer of Thoroton (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 March 2006 in the House of Lords, on behalf of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Tribunals Service: Performance Targets

On 1 April 2006, I will launch the Tribunals Service. The new agency brings together the tribunals already administered by DCA with five others from across central government. It is the culmination of a major programme of work that has involved extensive engagement with tribunals, other government departments and stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition and minimal disruption to users. The formation of the agency is the first major shake up of the UK tribunals system for over 50 years and will ensure the manifest independence of the tribunals from those whose decisions they are reviewing. The Tribunals Service will work to make the whole system of administrative justice more efficient, effective and accessible for users. Over time, it will test a range of methods of dispute resolution to create a service that ensures the public can get their problems addressed by the most suitable means. The following table sets out the key performance targets which I have set for the Tribunals Service for 2006–07.

Tribunal	Key Performance Indicators	Target
Employment
Tribunals Service
	The percentage of single employment tribunal cases where the hearing begins within 26 weeks of receipt
	75 per cent
	The minimum percentage of above target to be achieved by individual regional offices
	65 per cent
	The average time taken to issue the decision of the employment tribunal to the applicant following the tribunal hearing.
	Four weeks
Employment Appeals Tribunal	The percentage of appeals listed for a first hearing within 26 weeks of receipt
	75 per cent
Appeals Service	The average time from the receipt of an appeal from the original decision-making agency to the first tribunal hearing
	11 weeks
	The average time for a rehearing of a case returned from the Social Security Commissioner following an appeal against the original tribunal
	Eight weeks
Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (shared with Home Office)	The percentage of substantive asylum applications including the final appeal that is decided within six months
	75 per cent
Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (CICAP)	The percentage of cases where a decision on eligibility for compensation is issued from receipt of the ready-to-list bundle provided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)
	75 per cent in 6 months 95 per cent in 12 months
	The percentage of both eligibility and quantum (value) cases that are to be resolved within: 6 months; 12 months; and two years
	65 per cent; 90 per cent; and 98 per cent
	Number of appeals resolved per hearing day
	6
Mental Health
Review Tribunal	The average time taken from the date of receipt of the application to the date when the notification of the written decision is received by the applicant for: Section 2 (Mental Health Act 1983) cases; Section 3 (Mental Health Act 1983) cases; and restricted cases
	7 days; 5 weeks; and 14 weeks
Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal	The average time taken from the date of receipt of the application to the date when the notification of the written decision is received by the applicant
	4.3 months
	The percentage of: cases registered; case statements processed; and decisions issued within
10 working days
	96 per cent; 96 per cent; and80 per cent

Copies of the Tribunals Service framework document and the business plan for 2006–07 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Secondary information

Type: Written statement
Reference: 680 c76-8WS
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP 06/695
Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Deposited papers
House of Commons
House of Lords
Subjects: Standards Tribunals Service
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written statement on www.publications.parliament.uk

Tribunals Service: Performance Targets

Secondary information

Librarians' tools