Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of health services for women.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Women’s health is a priority for this government. We are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy and aligning our work on women’s health with the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan.Work continues to improve health outcomes for women, including the £25 million women’s health hubs pilot, new NICE guidance on endometriosis and menopause and extending the Baby Loss Certificate service.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a PIP assessment to be completed; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these waiting times on applications for the carers allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The median clearance time from a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registration to a DWP decision is 15 weeks for both new claims under normal rules and reassessments from Disability Living Allowance, as of July 2024. For new claims with Special Rules, there is a median time of 3 working days from registration to clearance.
Delays in assessing PIP claims should not affect the amount of Carer’s Allowance paid to the carer as the Carer’s Allowance claim can be backdated to the date PIP is awarded from.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the PIP application system; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) simplifying the application process and (b) introducing measures to reduce waiting times for decisions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Personal Independence Payment application process, which was developed with the assistance of disabled people, is kept under constant review. This is to ensure that it is accessible to claimants, and that it helps the Department reach an accurate assessment of an individual’s entitlement.
The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services. It is developing a PIP service which will ultimately offer online application and reduce journey times, providing a more efficient service and an enhanced customer experience.