Home > Publications > Selected cases — Parliamentary > Selected Cases and Summaries of Completed Investigations - October 1998 - March 1999 > Independent Tribunal Services
Sixth Report Session 1998-99
Volume 2
OCTOBER 1998 - MARCH 1999
The full report of selected cases
Summary of other investigations completed
INDEPENDENT TRIBUNAL SERVICES
Delays by the Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) in resolving an appeal and in providing a statement of reasons for a tribunal's decision
Mrs X's appeal hearing in September 1997 was adjourned because insufficient time had been allowed. Her solicitors provided a skeleton submission and the second hearing of the case was ready for listing in January 1998. It was not listed until March. In April and again in June the solicitors asked ITS to provide a full statement of the tribunal's decision to enable them to request leave to appeal to the Social Security Commissioners. After a further request from the solicitors ITS eventually provided the full statement in August 1998. ITS acknowledged their delays and errors and made an ex gratia payment of £150 to Mrs X.
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Mishandling of an appeal
The Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) took six months to arrange an appellant's appeal; failed to send the relevant appeal papers to the appellant or to his representative, the Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB); and failed to notify the appellant or the CAB of the appeal tribunal Chairman's decision to refuse their application for postponement. After the tribunal hearing ITS lost correspondence from the CAB asking for the tribunal's decision to be set aside and took no action on it. ITS undertook to deal urgently with a second application for setting aside; and, should the application lead to a rehearing, to consider compensating the appellant for delay in any resulting payment of benefit.
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