The latest figures released by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) on 14 March, show that 70% of all PIP appeals are won by the claimant. However, the waiting list for appeals to be heard is growing rapidly.
The figures cover the period October to December 2023. The success rates by benefit are:
- PIP 70%, up 1% on last year
- DLA 58%, down 3% on last year
- ESA 49%, identical to last year
- UC 54%, up 1% on last year
30,000 cases were completed in the quarter. Overall, 56% were cleared at hearing (compared to 61% last year) and 62% were revised in favour of the claimant, the same proportion as last year.
The number of PIP cases lodged was up by 14% compared to last year, with PIP appeals now accounting for 67% of all new cases, compared to just 17% for UC. Overall, there has been a 12% increase in the number of appeals lodged by claimants
There has been a 5% decrease in the number of cases completed. In particular, there has been a 14% decrease in PIP cases heard and a 15% decrease in ESA cases.
Alarmingly, there has been a 33% increase in cases waiting to be heard, now at 79,000. This is still well below it peak of 125,000 in 2017.
The average time taken to hear a case has increased by one week to 25 weeks, compared to last year.
You can read the full statistics here.
