Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 77
DWP provides assessors with guidance on issues including evidence use, contributions of family members and...
Recommendation
DWP provides assessors with guidance on issues including evidence use, contributions of family members and carers, and informal observations which, if correctly followed, would address many of the concerns raised in this area. The accounts we have heard in this inquiry, and those from the previous Committee’s Health assessments for benefits 91 inquiry, suggest that, too often, guidance is not followed correctly. We believe this points to fundamental weaknesses in the Department’s quality control over its contractors, which we return to later in this Report. We recommend the Department reviews the guidance on carers’ and family members’ evidence to assess why they may still not be being given due weight, and confirm what action it will take to ensure assessment providers are following it correctly. We also recommend the Government urgently investigate the use of covert surveillance by assessors, working with organisations that support claimants to establish whether this practice is widespread, and work with the assessment providers and contractors to ensure claimants are treated fairly and in line with the guidance.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government describes Mandatory Reconsideration as a valuable process and is undertaking a number of small-scale internal learning exercises to better understand what it can learn from the disputes stage. This work is still in very early development.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
77
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
The Department agrees that carers and family members should be encouraged to attend and provide evidence at assessments, and this is reflected in the guidance for health professionals who conduct PIP and WCA assessments, such as the PIP Assessment Guide and the WCA handbook. The Department will review the health professionals’ guidance and training material, assess the evidence and work with the assessment providers to ensure compliance.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗