Introduction to Northern Ireland Digest of Case-law

Welcome to the Northern Ireland Digest of Case-law (NIDOC). This database is owned and maintained by Decision Making Services.

Decision Making Services (DMS) represent the department in applications and appeals to the Commissioners by preparing written submissions and attending hearings. The aim of NIDOC is primarily to assist our staff to fulfil their obligations to the Office of the Social Security Commissioners and Child Support Commissioners (OSSC) in Northern Ireland with regard to social security benefit, compensation recovery and child support applications and appeals. NIDOC has been available on the department’s website since 10 November 2000. Hopefully it is presented in a suitable format for research by experienced professionals, those involved officially and unofficially in presenting appeals, and the public in general. The database contains all decisions from January 2000 and most of the important decisions from past years. As the need is identified, and resources permit, other relevant past decisions will be added. NIDOC is maintained with the co-operation of OSSC (NI) and has the approval of the Northern Ireland Chief Commissioner.

Social Security Commissioners' decisions are numbered in a broadly uniform fashion. Generally they consist of a letter to denote the decision's status followed by the number of the decision and the year in which the decision was given. Initials in brackets indicate the benefit to which the decision relates. Reported decisions (beginning with "R") take precedence over all others, which are unreported.

For example:
R1 / 96 (IB): R = reported decision;
1 / 96 = first decision in 1996 in the benefit group;
(IB) = incapacity benefit.

C2 / 00-01 (DLA): C = unreported decision by Commissioner on an appeal;
2 / 00-01 = second decision in 2000-01 in the benefit group;
(DLA) = disability living allowance.

A4 / 96 (JSA): A = a determination by Commissioner on an application;
4/96 = fourth determination in 1996 in the benefit group;
(JSA) = job seekers' allowance.

Child support unreported decisions have a slightly different numbering system in that the first two letters indicate the benefit and the third letter indicates whether the decision was given on an appeal or application.

For example:
CSA2 / 99: CS = child support;
A = a determination on an application;
2 / 99 = second determination in that group in 1999.
CSC5 / 00-01: CS = child support; C = unreported decision on an appeal; 5 / 00-01 = fifth decision in that group in 2000-01.

Users should note that the design of this database required DMS to give all decisions a 3-digit number through the use of "leading zeros".

For example:
R1 / 96 (IB) becomes R001 / 96 (IB)
C22 / 97 (JSA) becomes C022 / 97 (JSA)
A6 / 00-01 (DLA) becomes A006 / 00-01 (DLA)

When quoting a decision in correspondence to OSSC or to a tribunal these "leading zeros" should be dropped from the reference number.

© Crown Copyright Reserved. Copyright subsists in all Commissioners' decisions. Individual copies of decisions published on the Internet may be made for use solely in pending legal proceedings or academic research, and reasonable excerpts quoted in the press provided the source is acknowledged.

The reported decisions in NIDOC may not be identical to those published by The Stationery Office. The NIDOC version may differ slightly but only in terms of style and presentation, being based on the unreported format. Headnotes are however included. The published version of the reported decision can be obtained from The Stationery Office in Belfast or can be viewed at any Social Security Agency local office.

We welcome feedback on the NIDOC database. If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement of this part of the website please contact the Decision Making Services.