From April 2023 the SSCS Tribunal started to list cases using a new Scheduling and Listing solution. This, alongside HMCTS migrating to a new Strategic Data Platform, has resulted in some cases heard and decided using this new listing solution not currently being included in the data above. Revised data will be published as soon as they are available.
SSCS receipts increased by 4% this quarter, to 36,000 appeals, compared to July to September 2022. This was driven by increases in Universal Credit and Attendance Allowance (by 35% and 87% respectively). PIP and UC appeals accounted for 66% and 18% respectively of all SSCS receipts in July to September 2023.
In July to September 2023, SSCS disposals increased by 16% when compared to the same period in 2022 (from 27,000 in Q2 2022/23 to 31,000 in Q2 2023/24). PIP made up two thirds of SSCS disposals (67%).
Of the disposals made by the SSCS tribunal, 20,000 (63%) were cleared at hearing, and of these, 61% were overturned in favour of the customer (down from 72% and no change from 61% on the same period in 2022 respectively). This overturn rate varied by benefit type, with PIP at 68%, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 57%, Employment Support Allowance (ESA) 49%, and UC 51%. The PIP, DLA, ESA and UC overturn rates mostly decreased compared with July to September 2022 (PIP down 0, DLA down 4, ESA down 5 and UC down 1 percentage points).
There were 75,000 SSCS cases outstanding at the end of September 2023, an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2022. SSCS cases outstanding decreased gradually between Q4 2017/18 and Q2 2021/22 (from a peak of 125,000 to 32,000), only rising in Q3 2019/20. However, SSCS caseload outstanding has started to rise again, increasing in each of the quarters since Q2 2021/22.
Of those cases disposed of by the SSCS tribunal in July to September 2023, the mean age of a case at disposal was 26 weeks, a 5 weeks decrease compared to the same period in 2022
