Medical Assessments Danny Alexander To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost is per appeal against a medical assessment decision for benefit entitlement. Vera Baird The hon. Gentleman’s question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding what the average cost is per appeal against a medical assessment decision for benefit entitlement has been referred to the Department for Constitutional Affairs for reply. With effect of 3 April 2006, appeals against social security benefit decisions are now the responsibility of the Tribunals Service, which is an Agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The information the hon. Gentleman has asked for is not available in the format requested as unit costs are measured over the entire appeal caseload and not broken down specifically by benefit type. The average unit cost for processing an appeal is £253 and takes into account all Agency costs including overheads.