DWP 'surrendering' more benefit appeals as number of hearings drop but waits grow

Benefit claimants appealing the amount of money they are entitled to from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are increasingly winning their cases without ever having to face a hearing, the latest government data suggests. But it is a mixed picture for many, with more than 79,000 still waiting to have their claim heard.

Over the last three months of appeals reported by the DWP, from April to June, the number of cases where benefits officials opposed a claim at a tribunal hearing fell sharply from 70 per cent to 61 per cent, or just over 17,000 cases. While this meant many claimants faced a higher chance of getting their benefits uprated without opposition, those who made it to the hearing appear to have faced a different story.

Analysing the data release, the Benefits and Work forum said this 9 per cent drop suggests that "the DWP is surrendering before the appeal date in an increasing number of cases." This could be a sign that the department is focussing on the appeals cases that it believes it can win, officials have seen increasing success in the hearings process with 40 per cent of claims now being thrown out, a rise of three per cent.

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But despite longstanding criticism over the length of waits, people seeking an outcome from the DWP and a boost to their income are now waiting eight weeks longer for their hearing. Even though the overall number of benefit appeals has fallen year-on-year, the DWP data reveals that the wait to have a case heard at a tribunal is now a whopping 35 weeks.

During this time, benefit claimants have to get by with the amount initially awarded to them. The majority (64%) of appeals are for Personal Independence Payment, meaning that disabled and sick Brits are waiting almost nine months to have their case heard - even though a whopping 69 per cent end up winning their appeal.

These long waits for the benefit claimants taken to an appeals hearing are likely to continue as, by the end of June, the backlog of appeals reported by the DWP had grown by 12 per cent to 79,000.

At benefit appeals hearings between April and June, PIP claimants succeeded in 69 per cent of cases, while people on DLA won in 59 per cent, a four per cent drop over the same period last year. Likewise, successful appeals for ESA awards fell by eight per cent, with only 44 per cent of claimants succeeding at a hearing.

For Universal Credit, which made up a fifth of all appeals, claimants also had a harder time, with just under half (49%) winning their case, a drop of five per cent.