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1315060

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Sign Language
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing a British Sign Language Act that would give BSL full recognition in law.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	2464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2021 answer text <p>On 18 March 2003 the UK government formally recognised that British Sign Language (BSL) is a language in its own right. Provision for accessing services by users of BSL are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty.</p><p> </p><p>Existing equality legislation already means employers, service providers and public bodies have to provide services in BSL and other formats when it is reasonable to do so. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the needs of all those with protected characteristics.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/05/2021 12:55:38 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1304638

registered interest
date	22/03/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Disability: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the briefing published by Scope entitled Emergency support for disabled people and their families, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the evidence gathered by Scope on the effect of Government policy on disabled people and their families during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	173179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2021 answer text <p>I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 9th February to question number <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-02-04/149299" target="_blank">149299</a>.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 25/03/2021 14:13:43 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1300183

registered interest
date	08/03/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment: Long Covid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to make support available to employees suffering from long covid.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	164651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2021 answer text <p>On 18 February 2021, the Government announced that the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research Innovation (UKRI) had been awarded £18.5 million in funding for four research projects to help understand and address the longer-term health effects of COVID-19 in non-hospitalised patients.</p><p> </p><p>As research into the long-term health symptoms and impacts of COVID-19 is ongoing, we are collaborating across Government to monitor emerging evidence and consider our response.</p><p> </p><p>People with a condition arising from exposure to the Covid-19 virus are able to access Personal Independence Payment in the same way as other people with long-term health conditions or disabilities. Disability benefits do not include or exclude by condition, instead they look at the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability.</p><p> </p><p>Financial support is available through Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, New Style ESA. People who have symptoms of Long Covid should see their GP, if their health condition impacts on their ability to work a fit note may be issued. People can claim ESA or Pension Credit depending on their individual circumstances.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/03/2021 14:28:18 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1229071

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to increase the rate of Statutory Sick Pay to in line with the National Minimum Wage.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	82493
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides financial support to an employee when they are off work sick. Those on low pay can receive more help through the welfare system, depending on their personal circumstances. The Government published a consultation in which we sought views on the impact of the rate of SSP on employer and employee behaviours and decisions. A response to the consultation will be published later this year.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 07/09/2020 15:02:37 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1229082

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to allow health and disability benefit claimants with mental health illnesses to choose assessment types that are accessible to their needs during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	82498
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>In March we suspended all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits in order to protect people from unnecessary risk of coronavirus at the outset of the pandemic. As has always been the case, our assessment providers will initially try to complete paper-based assessments, where there is sufficient evidence to make a recommendation. If this is not the case, providers will currently look to carry out a telephone assessment, where appropriate. We offer reasonable adjustments for claimants who may need additional support to engage in a telephone assessment. We continue to work closely with our assessment providers to ensure that claimants can be assessed as quickly as possible, by the most appropriate channel.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 07/09/2020 15:06:16 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1140243

registered interest
date	18/07/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to work with (a) charities and (b) advice centres to improve the advice and support provided to disabled people completing applications and undergoing assessments for benefits.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	278906
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>We are absolutely committed to improving the overall claimant experience as this is what claimants rightly expect and deserve. We continue to engage with charities, academics, think tanks, and disabled people through several forums to ensure that options for improvement are informed by a wide variety of perspectives and views.</p><p> </p><p>Stakeholders are currently involved in our ongoing work on improving the PIP2 questionnaire and design of the Light Touch Review. The PIP Toolkit is accessible to all third parties to assist in the PIP application process. In addition, there is signposting for additional resources on www.gov.uk/PIP. In the 2017 “Improving Lives: The Future of Health, Work and Disability” Command Paper, we committed to reforming the WCA, and to working with external stakeholders to ensure that we get any future changes right.</p><p> </p><p>From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland are now delivering the Help to Claim service which supports claimants in making a new Universal Credit claim or moving from a legacy benefit to Universal Credit because of a change of circumstances. Help to Claim runs alongside the support that Jobcentres can provide and offers tailored, practical support to help people make their claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. It is widely available online, through a Freephone number and face to face through local Citizens Advice services. There is early evidence that the Help to Claim service is supporting those who most struggle to access DWP’s services, particularly those with multiple complex needs and health conditions.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/07/2019 10:03:01 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1138692

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on administering reviews and appeals against disability benefits in each of the last ten years.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	276510
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The table below gives the operational costs for disability benefits for the years from 2013/14 to 2018/19. This is the only comparable data available for the period requested due to changes in benefit delivery. The question asks for the cost of ‘administering reviews’ which is not a recognised DWP terminology so we have assumed the request is for the cost of Reconsiderations, as well as Appeals.</p><p>Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>18/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>17/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>16/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>15/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>14/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>13/14</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£m</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Appeals and Reconsiderations</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>66.93</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>66.07</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>49.33</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>37.21</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>39.20</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>51.03</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 22/07/2019 13:09:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1138422

registered interest
date	11/07/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to benefits for all people who have been diagnosed as terminally ill.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	276141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2019 answer text <p>The Special Rules for Terminal Illness provide a guaranteed entitlement to benefit under a fast track process, without people being required to attend a face-to-face assessment.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>On 11 July the Secretary of State announced an in-depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life, and those with the most severe conditions.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 16/07/2019 12:38:34 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1133190

registered interest
date	19/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Work Capability Assessment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of training for fit-to-work assessors to assess a person's mental health.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	266653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>All Healthcare Professionals receive training on how to assess the impact of mental health conditions on individuals. This is followed by on-going professional training and support which continues for the duration of their employment in the role. In addition, Mental Health Function Champions support Healthcare Professionals by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental and learning disabilities and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process.</p><p>Health Assessment Providers frequently engage with medical experts, charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen, review and update training programmes for all their assessment staff.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/06/2019 13:17:35 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1133192

registered interest
date	19/06/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Work Capability Assessment: Veterans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of training for fit-to-work assessors for military veterans.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	266654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Military Veterans who claim Employment and Support Allowance/Universal Credit are likely to have a variety of health conditions both physical and mental health related. Healthcare Professionals undertaking work capability assessments are equipped to identify the impact of these conditions as part of the existing assessment process.</p><p>All Healthcare Professionals carrying out work capability assessments are medically qualified and highly-trained practitioners in their own field. They are subject to a rigorous recruitment process followed by a comprehensive training programme in disability assessment. The assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the Healthcare Professional to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. The focus is on ensuring Healthcare Professionals are experts in disability analysis, drawing on evidence supplied by the individual and their GP or specialist clinical team, with knowledge of the likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions.</p><p>While preparing to undertake an assessment, Healthcare Professionals can access a wide range of clinical resources to research any conditions presented. This includes evidence based protocols, e-learning modules or case studies as well as keeping knowledge up to date through Continuous Professional Development.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 24/06/2019 12:14:51 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham