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Written Ministerial Statements

Tuesday 28 March 2006

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Launch of the Tribunals Service and Performance Targets (2006–07)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Bridget Prentice): My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor, has made the following written ministerial statement:

"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 fifty 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%
	The minimum percentage of above target to be achieved by individual regional offices	65%
	The average time taken to issue the decision of the employment tribunal to the applicant following the tribunal hearing.	4 weeks
Employment Appeals Tribunal	The percentage of Appeals listed for a first hearing within 26 weeks of receipt	75%
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	8 weeks
Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (shared with Home Office)	The percentage of substantive asylum applications including the final appeal that is decided within 6 months	75%
Criminal Injuries and 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% in6 months95% in12 months
	The Percentage of both eligibility and quantum (value) cases that are to be resolved within:6 months12 months2 years	65%90%98%
	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) casesSection 3 (Mental Health Act 1983) casesRestricted cases	7 days5 weeks14 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,Decisions issued, within 10 working days	96%96%80%

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

Public Guardianship Office (Key Performance Indicators and Targets 2006–07)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Bridget Prentice): The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, my noble Friend the Baroness Ashton of Upholland, has made the following written ministerial statement.

"The following list sets out the key performance targets that have been set for the Public Guardianship Office for 2006–07.

KPI 1: To increase the satisfaction of its customers in the delivery of its services as measured by customer surveys throughout the year.

Targets:

(a) To achieve an overall satisfaction rating of 75 per cent.

(b) To reduce dissatisfaction amongst each of the PGO's different customer groups (lay, local authority and professional receivers, and EPA attorneys) by 10 per cent.

KPI 2: To increase the proportion of effective visits by the Lord Chancellor's Visitors.

Targets:

Effective visits

(a) To achieve 80 per cent. effective visits over the year. An effective visit is one where:

(i) the visit is carried out within six months of the request being made; and

 
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(ii) recommended action is initiated within one calendar month of the visit.

New clients

(b) To visit all new clients within six months of the Order appointing the Receiver being sent and to initiate any necessary action arising from the visit within one calendar month.

(c) To visit 10 per cent. of clients within 12–18 months of a Short Order direction.

Existing clients

(d) To undertake visits to existing clients as follows:

(i) 10 per cent. of clients within 18 months of a Case Transfer direction;

(ii) annually where the Chief Executive of the PGO is the receiver;

(iii) a repeat visit after three years where the receiver is still in place;

(iv) a repeat visit when necessary based on recommendations made by a Lord Chancellor's Visitor; and

(v) other visits as directed by the court of protection or requested by the PGO.

In total, the PGO anticipates that these criteria will result in approximately 9,500 visits.

KPI 3: To maintain an effective system to collect and review accounts, and use this process to review the case management regime to ensure that it is meeting the needs of each customer and client.

Targets:

(a) To collect 60 per cent. of accounts, in all cases where an account is properly due, within two calendar months of the accounting end date; 85 per cent. within four calendar months of the accounting end date; and 95 per cent. within six calendar months of the accounting end date.

(b) To complete the review of, or to have requested further information for, 100 per cent. of accounts within 20 working days of receipt.

(c) To complete the review of 75 per cent. of furthered-on accounts (that is, those where further information is needed) within 30 working days of the request for additional information.

(d) No case will have two accounts outstanding unless the court of protection has directed otherwise.

KPI 4: To deliver an improved service to clients.

Targets:

Correspondence

(a) To respond to

— 60 per cent. of correspondence within 5 working days of receipt;

— 80 per cent. of correspondence within 10 working days of receipt; and

— 98 per cent. of correspondence within 15 working days of receipt.

Release of funds

(b) To work with receivers to ensure they have access to funds to support the client for a year at a time. Where requests for release of funds are made over and above this, PGO will give directions to the Court Funds Office (CFO), or dispatch directions to the receiver within five working days in 80 per cent. of cases and within 10 working days in 95 per cent. of cases; or explain why it cannot release funds.

 
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Applications for Receivership

(c) Providing it has all the appropriate forms and information required in support of an application, PGO will list a case for hearing and notify the applicant within 10 working days in 95 per cent. of cases.

(d) The hearing date will be within 35 working days of the date the hearing was listed in 95 per cent. of cases.

(e) After the hearing, PGO will notify applicants of the outcome of the hearing and request any further information the court requires within five working days in 95 per cent. of cases.

(f) PGO will issue orders within 10 working days in 95 per cent. of cases where all information and documents have been received.

Closing cases

(g) Where a client dies and PGO has a complete application for final directions, PGO will prepare and dispatch directions to transfer assets to personal representatives within 15 working days in 80 per cent. of cases, within 20 working days in 98 per cent. of cases.

Enduring Powers of Attorney

(h) PGO will register and return 98 per cent. of correctly lodged EPAs, where there are no objections, within five working days of the end of the statutory waiting period.

Accuracy of Orders

(i) PGO will ensure that in at least 98 per cent. of cases, orders will not be returned because of errors.

Case Transfer to Short Order Regime

(j) In 85 per cent. of cases identified for consideration for a short order regime, the case will be referred to the court of protection within 15 working days for a decision to be made.

(k) Where the Court directs a transfer, initiating action will be effected within 10 days of the decision in 95 per cent. of cases.

KPI 5: To demonstrate improvements in efficiency in value for money terms by meeting a Unit Cost target for undertaking each case in each of the main business streams as follows:

Targets:

— Enduring Powers of Attorney—£114 per case; and

— Appointing and Supervising Receivers—£580 per case".

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