asked the Attorney-General how long after the appeal hearing social security commissioner's decision No. CU/387/85 was sent to the claimant; and what was the reason for the delay.

The appeal was heard on 29 August 1986 and the decision was sent to the claimant on 6 February 1987. The decision was a matter for the commissioner in the exercise of his independent judicial functions, but the Lord Chancellor is seeking information from the chief social security commissioner.

asked the Attorney-General what is the average delay between a Social Security Commissioner's oral hearing and notification of the decision to the claimant.

The average time is misleading since it is distorted by the existence of a small number of abnormally long delays. However, for decisions issued during January and February 1987 the average time from oral hearing to notification was three and a half months.