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Select Committee · Work and Pensions Committee

Health assessments for benefits

Status: Closed Opened: 27 Sep 2021 Closed: 7 Aug 2023 25 recommendations 4 conclusions 2 reports

The Committee investigated the assessment processes for health-related benefits. These include Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. The Committee is focusing on how the Department for Work and Pensions can improve the application and assessment processes for these benefits. The Committee …

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Easy Read - Health assessments for benefits: summary HC 128 14 Apr 2023 0 —
Fifth Report - Health assessments for benefits HC 128 14 Apr 2023 29 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
10 Recommendation Fifth Report - Health assessments for b… Rejected

We recognise that reducing waiting times is vital to ensuring people get the support that...

We recognise that reducing waiting times is vital to ensuring people get the support that they need. However, we are keenly aware that delays are still happening. In line with our recommendation that the Department set clearance time targets, we also recommend that where these are missed, PIP applicants are …

Government response. The government rejected the recommendation to pay PIP applicants an assessment rate if clearance time targets are missed, stating that PIP is not an income replacement benefit and payment could lead to inappropriate expenditure of public funds, as around half …
Department for Work and Pensions
21 Recommendation Fifth Report - Health assessments for b… Rejected

The vast majority of assessments are still not recorded and auditing the reports may not...

The vast majority of assessments are still not recorded and auditing the reports may not pick up discrepancies between what a claimant has said or done in an assessment, and what is recorded in the report. We recommend the Department instructs providers to record assessments by default, with a clear …

Government response. The Department remains committed to retaining audio recording on an opt-in basis, giving claimants the choice of having their assessment recorded.
Department for Work and Pensions
25 Recommendation Fifth Report - Health assessments for b… Rejected

We agree that the easement for signing forms on behalf of people with terminal mesothelioma...

We agree that the easement for signing forms on behalf of people with terminal mesothelioma and lung cancer was a positive development in the pandemic. The Department should make this permanent and bring the rules on advisers signing forms in line with those for other benefits, including Attendance Allowance. (Paragraph …

Government response. The Department considers that there is already appropriate provision in place given appointee provisions and generous entitlement rules for the most vulnerable IIDB claimants, and states there is no equivalent legislative provision within IIDB for the definition of 'terminally ill'.
Department for Work and Pensions

Oral evidence sessions

9 sessions
Date Witnesses
20 Jul 2022 Chloe Smith MP · Cabinet Office, Gill Holmes · Department for Work and Pensions, Katie Farrington · Department for Work and Pensions View ↗
29 Jun 2022 Ben Macpherson MSP · Scottish Government, Matthew Duff · Scottish Government, Peter Schofield · Department for Work and Pensions, Professor Paul Knight OBE · Social Security Scotland, Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs View ↗
22 Jun 2022 Dr Ben Baumberg Geiger · University of Kent, Professor Ben Barr · University of Liverpool View ↗
25 May 2022 Antony King · Capita, Dr Barrie McKillop · Independent Assessment Services, Dr Paul Williams · Maximus, Emma-Jane Bannister · Maximus, Laura Erskine · Capita, Stuart Paterson · Independent Assessment Services, Suzie Frew · Maximus View ↗
11 May 2022 Aaron Dryden · Carers UK, Caroline Selman · Public Law Project, Daphne Hall · National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers (NAWRA), Dr Kieran Sharrock · British Medical Association (BMA), Hannah Nicholls-Harrison · Disability Benefits Consortium, Mark Jackson · Marie Curie, Minesh Patel · Mind View ↗
30 Mar 2022 Andy Pike · The Royal British Legion, Caroline Cooke · Forces in Mind Trust, Philip Martin · University of Salford/Sanctions, Support and Service Leavers View ↗
16 Mar 2022 Catherine Hale · Chronic Illness Inclusion Project, Jane Hunt · Association of Disabled Professionals, Jasmine Wyeth · Rethink Mental Illness, Patricia Vespucio · GIPSIL, Sarah Rawlings · MS Society, Tracey Lazard · Inclusion London View ↗
12 Jan 2022 Charles Smith · Citizens Advice, Evan John · Sense, Hannah Nicholls-Harrison · Mencap, Helen Wild · Down’s Syndrome Association, Joanne Gordon · Asbestos Victims Support Groups’ Forum UK, Louise Rubin · Scope, Marc Francis · Zacchaeus 2000 Trust (Z2K), Morgan Vine · Independent Age, Sophie Corlett · Mind View ↗
1 Dec 2021 Dr Paul Litchfield CBE · Department for Work and Pensions, Paul Gray CB · Department for Work and Pensions View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
12 Jul 2023 — Correspondence with the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work relating …
7 Sep 2022 — Correspondence from the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work following…
7 Sep 2022 — Correspondence from Social Security Scotland in connection with the health asse…