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1185252

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
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: Medical Examinations
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 is taking to protect sick, elderly or disabled people in receipt of (a) employment support allowance, (b) personal independence payment and (c) universal credit from having to attend mandatory assessments or appointments in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	30000
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p><del class="ministerial">As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">From 17<sup>th</sup> March, we suspended all face-to-face assessments for health and disability benefits. For existing claimants, we have also automatically extended awards and suspended any new review or reassessment activity, except where claimants notify us of changes to their needs that may result in an increase to their award. </ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial">We have temporarily suspended the requirement for face-to-face Jobcentre Plus appointments for all claimants in Universal Credit, Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Income Support. This means that claimants are not expected to contact their Jobcentre Plus while this temporary suspension is in place. They will continue to receive benefits as normal and they will not be sanctioned for not taking part in interviews with Jobcentres.</ins></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/03/2020 17:45:25 question first ministerially corrected 15/04/2020 15:02:18 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson previous answer version 13583 answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1185255

registered interest
date	16/03/2020
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: Medical Examinations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to mitigate the risk of delays in processing new applications for (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment support allowance due to (i) self-isolation or (ii) reduced face to face assessments following the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	30002
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p>As announced on Monday 16 March we are stopping all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits and introducing alternative measures to assess from Tuesday 17 March. We are working at pace with our Assessment Providers to minimize any inconvenience and delays as much as possible.</p><p> </p><p>No estimate has yet been made on the average waiting times for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit (UC) while these alternative arrangements are in place. Claims to ESA and UC will be payable prior to a Work Capability Assessment having been carried out and payments for Personal Independence Payment will be backdated from the date of decision in line with normal rules following an assessment.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 30056 30058 question first answered 19/03/2020 13:25:08 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1183048

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants in receipt of personal independence payment (PIP) are being paid a rate of employment and support allowance or the limited capability for work component of universal credit, including associated premiums, that does not fully reflect their PIP entitlement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	25697
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2020 answer text <p>The Department publishes annual statistics on fraud and error in the benefit system, which are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system</a>. These include estimates of underpayments due to errors relating to premia and income from other benefits. The information requested on the total number of claimants receiving ESA or Universal Credit payments inconsistent with their PIP and other relevant living and care arrangements is not available and it would incur disproportionate cost to determine this number.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25698 question first answered 10/03/2020 11:19:46 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1183049

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the amount of underpayments resulting from claimants in receipt of personal independence payment being paid a rate of employment and support allowance or the limited capability for work component of universal credit, including associated premiums, that does not fully reflect their PIP entitlement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	25698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2020 answer text <p>The Department publishes annual statistics on fraud and error in the benefit system, which are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system</a>. These include estimates of underpayments due to errors relating to premia and income from other benefits. The information requested on the total number of claimants receiving ESA or Universal Credit payments inconsistent with their PIP and other relevant living and care arrangements is not available and it would incur disproportionate cost to determine this number.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson grouped question UIN 25697 question first answered 10/03/2020 11:19:47 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1183050

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
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
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 will take to ensure that claimants in receipt of personal independence payment (PIP) automatically receive the accompanying rates of employment and support allowance or the limited capability for work component of universal credit, including associated premiums, that fully reflect their PIP entitlement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	25699
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2020 answer text <p>Those in receipt of Personal Independence Payment may be entitled to additional premiums as part of their income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Whilst our ambition is to provide automated solutions to facilitate the payment of these there will always be occasions – whether because of the relative costs and benefits of a particular approach or the complexity or lifespan of the product – where this is not possible and human intervention is required. To support our people to deliver a high quality service we are undertaking regular scans of our ESA caseload to identify and eliminate error; prioritising payment related processing across sites; re-organising the delivery of our services to maximise capability and capacity and digital transformation to support delivery.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 11/03/2020 13:36:08 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1179814

registered interest
date	24/02/2020
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	Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) new claimants of personal independence payment (PIP) and (b) new claimants of PIP identifying as having a primary condition of (i) sight loss and (ii) a visual impairment did not receive an award during their initial PIP assessment but received an award at (A) mandatory reconsideration and (B) tribunal in the UK since 2018.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	19954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>Initial decisions following a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment for Great Britain since 1<sup>st</sup> January 2018 up to 30<sup>th</sup> June 2019 are as shown in the table below. Figures are based on decisions where the primary health condition was classed as Visual Disease. This data is for new claims only; it excludes Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims that have been reassessed for PIP.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Initial decisions following a PIP assessment – new claims – initial decisions made 1st January 2018 to 30th June 2019</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Visual Disease</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>All</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Totals</p></td><td><p>%</p></td><td><p>Totals</p></td><td><p>%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Initial decisions following PIP assessment</p></td><td><p>5,230</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>531,000</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Awarded</p></td><td><p>3,010</p></td><td><p>58%</p></td><td><p>297,170</p></td><td><p>56%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Disallowed</p></td><td><p>2,220</p></td><td><p>42%</p></td><td><p>233,830</p></td><td><p>44%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Of those disallowed at initial decision</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Award changed at Mandatory Reconsideration (MR)</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td><td><p>12,360</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Award unchanged at MR, appeal lapsed</p></td><td><p>40</p></td><td><p>2%</p></td><td><p>3,840</p></td><td><p>2%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Award unchanged at MR, decision overturned at tribunal hearing</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>4%</p></td><td><p>10,580</p></td><td><p>5%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.</p><p>Percentages have been rounded to the nearest percent.</p><p>Data is for new claims only – it does not include DLA reassessment claims.</p><p>Great Britain only.</p><p>Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions but only the primary condition is reflected in these statistics. It is not possible to break down the condition of “visual disease” into sight loss or visual impairment from the data.</p><p>A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at tribunal.</p><p>Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.</p><p>The Northern Irish Assembly has devolved responsibility for social security benefits. The responsibility for statistics in Northern Ireland lies with the Department for Communities: <a href="http://www.communities-ni.gov.uk" target="_blank">http://www.communities-ni.gov.uk</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/02/2020 17:41:41 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1179819

registered interest
date	24/02/2020
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	Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a primary condition of sight loss or visual impairment who were in receipt of disability living allowance have been asked to make a new claim for personal independence payment in each year since 2013.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	19956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>Data on the medical conditions of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants who are invited to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>However, data on claimants who have a visual disease recorded as their primary disabling condition on either DLA or PIP and who were previously in receipt of DLA is available on Stat Xplore for those who have had a PIP assessment.</p><p> </p><p>The selection of a DLA reassessment to PIP is done on a random basis within specific postcodes and has no relation to the condition of the individual.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/02/2020 11:06:59 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1179851

registered interest
date	24/02/2020
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	Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of award is for people with a visual impairment claiming personal independence payment; and how many of those claimants have had their award reviewed and renewed automatically.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	19960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>The latest available data (to October 2019) on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) initial awards by award type and length of award can be broken down by main disabling condition and can be found in the PIP clearances table at <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html</a>.</p><p> </p><p>PIP claimants undergoing award reviews do not have their award automatically renewed as the purpose of award review is to look at entitlement at set intervals to ensure a claimant continues to receive the correct award. The review date is selected based on the claimant's individual circumstances.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/02/2020 11:10:50 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1179854

registered interest
date	24/02/2020
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	Universal Credit: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what adjustments have been made to the (a) application and (b) journal process of universal credit to take account of people with (i) sight loss and (ii) visual impairment who are not able to use the default online process.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	19961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>We want the application process for Universal Credit to be as quick and easy as possible to ensure that claimants receive their money at the earliest opportunity. The Department takes seriously the need to support vulnerable claimants. Comprehensive support is available to claimants to use our digital service, however we recognise there will be occasions when people are unable to make or maintain their claim online, so telephone support is available.</p><p> </p><p>Universal Credit has been designed with a diverse range of claimants in mind, and has been reviewed in conjunction with the Royal National Institute for the Blind for accessibility needs. The Department communicates with customers in a variety of different formats such as Braille, audio, large print, through third party interpreters such as British Sign Language or non-spoken language.</p><p> </p><p>In these instances, information normally available through a claimant’s online account will be communicated in an alternative format, which is best suited to an individual’s circumstances. The initial verification can include a home visit to support a claimant with making their claim and completing any other administrative tasks required to ensure that they receive the correct payment.</p><p> </p><p>Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland have supported over 200,000 individuals through ‘Help to Claim’ since April 2019, offering tailored and practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. ‘Help to Claim’ is available online, on the phone and face-to-face in locations including Jobcentres and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Department will be bringing forward a Green Paper on health and disability support in the coming months. The Green Paper will explore how the welfare system can better meet the needs of claimants with disabilities and health conditions now and in the future, to build a system that people trust and enables them to live independently and move into work where possible.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/02/2020 11:05:39 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1179898

registered interest
date	24/02/2020
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	Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the process is for the provision of accessible formats to people with a visual impairment making a claim for personal independence payment; and on how many occasions have claimants with visual impairments been issued with (a) an audio description (b) Braille (c) large print, (d) Moon and (e) telephone assistance in each of the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	19968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2020 answer text <p>Claimants can ask for a variety of alternative formats during the initial call to claim or at any time during their claim via letter, email, phone call or via the video relay service. We offer various alternative formats suitable for those with a visual impairment. These include, Large Print, Extra Large Print, Braille, Moon, Audio CD and Email for those who use specific software’s i.e Jaws or Dragon. We also offer telephone assistance and Visiting Officers to assist the customer on the PIP journey.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, we do not have a breakdown of figures for each alternative format as there are several teams throughout PIP Regional Benefit Centres and Alternative Format Teams who record volumes of work not specific formats. To provide this information would be at a disproportionate cost to the Department.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 27/02/2020 17:31:30 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens