Written questions by Kirkham.

What is the average waiting time for Child Maintenance Service appeal decisions.

The mean case age at clearance for Child Maintenance Service appeals for the latest periods for which data are available was 58* weeks for the quarter April to June 2024; and 57 weeks for the quarter July to September 2024.Waiting times are calculated from receipt of the appeal to the final disposal decision. The final outcome of any appeal is not necessarily achieved at its first hearing.*Please note that 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 that may not be included in the data above.

What steps she is taking to reduce the waiting time for PIP appeal hearings.

We are working to reduce the outstanding caseload in the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. Reducing outstanding caseloads is the key measure to bringing down the waiting times for tribunal hearings.HMCTS continues to invest in improvi...

What steps she is taking to reduce the charge to finalisation rate for (a) rape and (b) sexual offences in (i) Devon and (ii) Cornwall.

We recognise that, due to the complex nature of cases, victims and survivors of rape and sexual offences can experience disproportionately long wait times for their trial.To address this, we have committed to fast-tracking rape cases through the courts an...

What steps she is taking to reduce the charge to finalisation rate in Devon and Cornwall.

We are committed to delivering swift access to justice and reducing the outstanding caseload in the criminal courts. Whilst the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS have oversight of the timeliness with which cases move through the magistrates’ and Crown Courts,...