Tribunal Statistics (quarterly and annual - Jan-Mar 2013 / 2012-13)
This report presents the latest statistics on type and volume of Tribunal cases that are received, disposed of or outstanding as of the fourth quarter of 2012/13 (January to March).
Documents
Details
The statistics for the fourth quarter of 2012/13 also include the annual figures for the financial year 2012/13.
Main findings
All Tribunals Combined
The statistics for the quarter 1 January to 31 March 2013 include details for new Tribunals which have recently joined HMCTS . In this report, changes compared with earlier periods are made excluding figures for new Tribunals, so that comparisons are on a like-for-like basis.
- Between January and March 2013 (quarter 4), there were 255,000 receipts or claims. This represents a 15 per cent increase over the same quarter of the previous year. The main reason for the increase was the large increase in appeals to the Social Security and Child Support tribunal.
- There were 202,000 disposals in January to March 2013. This was an increase of 7 per cent on October to December 2012.
- For all tribunals combined, the caseload outstanding at 31 March 2013 was 898,000 – 19 per cent higher than the previous year. The caseload outstanding has risen for all of the largest Tribunals since 2011/12: by 39 per cent for Immigration and Asylum; by 41 per cent for Social Security and Child Support by 13 per cent for Employment (ET).
Employment Tribunals
The employment tribunals are independent judicial bodies which determine disputes between employers and employees over employment rights.
- Between January and March 2013, Employment Tribunals received 57,737 claims in total – 36 per cent more than in the same quarter of 2011/12. The increase was driven by an increase in claims under Working Time Directive, which doubled over the period, and accounted for just over a third of claims.
- There were 27,778 disposals made by Employment Tribunals - a 3 per cent decrease on the number for the same quarter of 2011/12. The number of single disposed claims decreased by ten per cent, whilst those for multiple claims increased by six per cent.
First Tier Immigration and Asylum Tribunal
All references to Immigration and Asylum refer to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). It is an independent Tribunal dealing with appeals against decisions made by the Home Secretary and Home Office officials in immigration, asylum and nationality matters.
- Compared with the same quarter of 2011/12, there was a decrease of 14 per cent in the overall number of Immigration and Asylum receipts, to 23,844 – continuing the downward trend. The largest decrease was in the Family Visit Visa category, which has halved over the year. This was partly due to the Immigration Appeals (Family Visitor) Regulations 2012 which came into force on 9 July, which restricted the right of appeal to a narrower definition of family visitor.
- The number of Immigration and Asylum disposals was 26,673 between January and March 2013, 11 per cent fewer than in the same quarter of 2011/12.
Social Security and Child Support
The Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) appeals jurisdiction, part of the First Tier Tribunal, arranges and carries out independent hearings for appeals on decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions. This includes Jobcentre Plus, Child Maintenance Group and Disability and Carers Service), as well as other government departments (HM Revenue and Customs) and local authorities.
- For SSCS, there were 155,235 receipts between January and March 2013. When compared with the same quarter for the previous year, the number of receipts increased by 52 per cent and this was mainly as a result of the increased number of Employment and Support Allowance appeals , which more than doubled.
- There were 130,517 disposals made by SSCS, 19 per cent more than the previous year.
- There were 104,572 SSCS hearing clearances (those cases disposed of at hearing) during January to March 2013, 18 per cent more than in the same quarter of 2011/12.
The bulletin is produced and handled by the ministry’s analytical professionals and production staff.
In addition to Ministry of Justice professional and production staff, pre-release access to the provisional court statistics of up to 24 hours is granted to the following postholders:
Ministry of Justice: Secretary of State, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Permanent Secretary, Head of Legal Services Commission, Director General of Finance and Public Services, Head of Analytical Services, Chief Statistician, five Press Officers and Relevant Special Advisers.
Her Majesty’s Court Service: Her Majesty’s Court Service: Chief Executive, Director of Civil, Family and Tribunals, Deputy Director of Tribunals, Head of Performance, Analysis and Reporting and Head of Special and Cross-cutting Tribunals. DWP: Private Office, Policy lead on Decisions and Appeals