The Department\u2019s aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. We have made improvements to our decision-making processes to ensure that people get the support they are entitled to as quickly as possible, because Decision Makers can better gather relevant additional evidence earlier in the process.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1609", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chloe Smith"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Norwich North"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chloe Smith"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-02-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-02-09T12:26:17.83Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-02-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Personal Independence Payment: Appeals"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of tribunals and mandatory reconsiderations involving personal independence payment claims.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4737", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dehenna Davison"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bishop Auckland"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dehenna Davison"} ], "uin" : "116049"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1403538", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1403538/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As announced in the recent Shaping Future Support: Health and Disability Green Paper we want to make changes to the assessment process so people with the most severe health conditions and disabilities can claim the benefits they are entitled to through a simpler process. We are exploring how to test a new Severe Disability Group (SDG) so those with severe and lifelong conditions can benefit from a simplified process to access ESA/UC and PIP without ever needing to complete a detailed application form or go through a face to face assessment/reassessment.<\/p>
<\/p>
We have already stopped reassessments for people with the most severe conditions that are unlikely to change. In Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, we proposed ways to further reduce the number of unnecessary assessments, while continuing to ensure support is properly targeted. Alongside this, we proposed ways of offering greater flexibility and simplicity in the way that assessments are delivered, including improving the evidence we use to make decisions from health assessments, and learn the lessons of coronavirus where we introduced telephone and video assessments.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1609", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Chloe Smith"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Norwich North"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Chloe Smith"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-01-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-01-25T17:53:53.34Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-01-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps is the government taking to ensure that reassessments for sufferers of chronic conditions are as unobtrusive and infrequent as possible.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4737", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dehenna Davison"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bishop Auckland"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dehenna Davison"} ], "uin" : "105731"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1181949", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1181949/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/strong><\/p> The Department supports people to be self-employed when it is the right thing for them to do to be financially self-sufficient. Key to this is continuing to help claimants in, or considering, self-employment to progress to a level of sustained financial self-sufficiency that does not exclude the possibility of better paid work elsewhere. This ensures fairness to claimants, but also taxpayers who fund the welfare system.<\/p> <\/p> Work coaches offer tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through to help them to increase their productivity and earnings. Work coaches can refer low-earning claimants to mentoring support from New Enterprise Allowance providers and sign-post claimants to the other extensive business support which is already funded by the Government.<\/p> <\/p> We recognise that it takes time for new businesses to grow and that even established businesses can experience difficulties. From September 2020, all self-employed Universal Credit claimants will be given the same 12 months\u2019 exemption period to provide them with time and support needed to grow their businesses.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4513", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mims Davies"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mid Sussex"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mims Davies"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2020-03-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2020-03-06T11:13:30.157Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2020-03-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Security Benefits: Self-employed"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support self-employment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4737", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dehenna Davison"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bishop Auckland"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dehenna Davison"}
], "uin" : "23671"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130746", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1130746/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007 and 2011 were fully debated in Parliament. The government undertook wide public consultation before the passage of the Acts. This included publishing Green and White Papers. The passage of the Acts and the changes they brought in were widely reported in the media throughout this period.<\/p> <\/p> The changes to State Pension age that the Pensions Act 1995 brought in started to come into effect from April 2010 giving a notice period of at least 15 years for those changes.<\/p> <\/p> In addition, the DWP and others took extensive steps in the years following the 1995 Act to further communicate the changes to women born in the 1950s, as well as all others affected, by means such as leaflets, State Pension forecasts, media articles and personal letters.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4142", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Guy Opperman"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hexham"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Guy Opperman"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-12T16:33:16.753Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "State Retirement Pensions: Females"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women born in the 1950s and affected by the change of the state pension age received less than five years notice of that change.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1484", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Helen Goodman"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bishop Auckland"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Helen Goodman"}
], "uin" : "261488"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1023178", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1023178/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "