Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to engage with external organisations, including charities representing people with specific health conditions such as Parkinson’s, to support the training and upskilling of staff involved in Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The department is taking a number of steps to support the training and upskilling of staff involved in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments, while ensuring that all clinical training materials are of the highest quality, evidence-based, and free from bias.
Since September 2024, following the commencement of the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS) contracts, the DWP Clinical Team has taken ownership of all clinical core training and guidance materials (CTGM). These materials are now developed and assured independently of charities and other stakeholder organisations to ensure consistency, impartiality and alignment with best clinical practice. The CTGM is aligned with national guidance, including that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which draws on the best available evidence and incorporates input from clinical experts, people with lived experience, carers and the public.
Senior clinicians from charities and stakeholder groups are invited to contribute to a monthly education programme delivered to DWP-employed clinicians. All contributions are subject to prior review to ensure they are evidence-based, clinically focused and free from bias.
In addition, the department facilitates ongoing engagement through quarterly stakeholder information sessions. These provide an opportunity for charities and other organisations to raise questions, offer feedback, and highlight concerns regarding clinical training materials. Feedback can also be submitted in advance of these sessions for discussion.
Through this approach, the department ensures that training remains robust, evidence-based and informed by wider expertise, while maintaining appropriate independence and clinical integrity in the development of guidance for PIP assessments.
On 9 September 2024, DWP assumed responsibility for the Core Training and Guidance Materials (CTGM) used within the Health Assessment Advisory Service (HAAS), provided by DWP to the HAAS assessment suppliers. Following the transfer of responsibilities to DWP, all training and guidance materials are currently being comprehensively reviewed and updated. A newly established team is leading this work, ensuring that all materials are aligned with national best practice standards. To support this, independent clinical experts are being engaged to provide external quality assurance, helping to ensure the accuracy, relevance, and consistency of the content. Once the review and update is complete, external organisations, including charities representing people with specific health conditions such as Parkinson’s, will be invited to comment.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the inclusion of Paramedic Practitioners to certify fit notes under the Fit Note (Statement of Fitness for Work) legislation.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Legislation was amended in 2022 to widen the list of professionals eligible to issue a fit note to include pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and registered nurses, alongside doctors.
The changes were made following extensive consultation with a wide range of healthcare professionals and their professional bodies. The aim of the changes was to ease the burden on GPs, streamline the interface between primary and secondary care, and enable fit notes to be issued by the clinician closest to the patient at the time they needed a fit note.
While paramedics are not able to issue fit notes, they and other Allied Health Professionals can contribute to decisions on sickness certification through completion of an AHP Work and Health Report. This may be considered by eligible professionals when issuing a fit note.
In May, the government launched pilot programmes across 4 Integrated Care Board areas in England to reform the fit note process. The pilots will test a fundamentally different approach, exploring replacing the traditional GP-led fit note process with newly designed plans that provide better support to people who fall ill at work. The long-term aim is for fundamental reform of the fit note process, and the pilots are not intended to revisit or reopen questions around paramedics issuing fit notes.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve transparency in Child Maintenance Service (CMS) decision-making processes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to making Child Maintenance Service (CMS) decisions clear, accessible and transparent.
Whenever a decision is made that affects a child maintenance calculation or payment arrangements, DWP issues notifications to customers explaining the outcome. Where the maintenance calculation changes, customers are provided with information setting out how the new calculation has been reached.
DWP is taking steps to improve communications with parents by simplifying content and retiring outdated letters. In addition, the online My Child Maintenance Case service enables parents to view their case details, track changes, check their current position and view digital copies of notifications at any time. DWP continues to develop this service to provide even more information to customers.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of enabling British National (Overseas) visa holders to access apprenticeship programmes in (a) the health and social care sector and (b) other sectors before completing three years’ residence in the UK.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department regularly reviews the apprenticeship funding rules, often in consultation with others, including the Home Office and the Department for Education.
This includes the requirements for ordinary residency. This three-year residency requirement is longstanding within the apprenticeship programme. It applies to both UK and non-UK nationals. It is applied consistently to ensure that the individuals have a connection to the UK and are committed to living in the country before they are eligible for training funded by the taxpayer.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of whether company directors are able to disguise personal income as business revenue to reduce child support obligations under the Child Maintenance Service 2012 Scheme.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where a paying parent is the Director of their limited liability company, they are legally an employee of that company for child maintenance purposes. They are also legally required to provide details of unearned income such as dividends in their Self-Assessment Tax Return.
Real time income information direct from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is key to the child maintenance calculation which also includes a wide range of income types, including income from property, savings and investments (including dividends) and other miscellaneous income. This makes it difficult for most parents to misstate their income.
People working in certain positions can influence how they are paid and the amount of pay they get. These people are known as ‘complex earners’ and include company directors who can affect their level of pay or dividends they receive.
Where it is reported there is additional unearned income that has not been captured in the maintenance calculation either parent can apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) for an ‘additional income variation.’
The CMS has robust processes in place to investigate any misrepresentation of income and where there is credible information that fraud has been committed, or incorrect income declared the case is referred to the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This specialist team request and validate information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of the information used in the maintenance calculation to ensure financial correctness and can make assessment changes if they discover undeclared income that is effectively being used as income.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that applicants' wellbeing is considered when undergoing an Access to Work assessment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Access to Work applications are reviewed by Case Managers who work with customers to understand what barriers they may be experiencing within the workplace in relation to their health condition or disability. Staff take part in training events that provide them with information on a range of disabilities and health conditions so that they can better understand the challenges experienced by applicants.
When required, staff will work with specialist teams that help to identify customers who are vulnerable or have complex needs who require more advanced support.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 Disability Living Allowance assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.
Decisions on claims to DLA for children are made by DWP Case Managers. They receive comprehensive training and are supported by a range of regularly updated guides, such as the Decision Makers Guide and comprehensive medical guidance. They also receive disability-specific training and have the support of medical services and quality assurance managers.
Anyone who believes that the decision on their claim is incorrect, including the length of the award, can ask for Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) within one month of the date stated on the decision letter.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
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 Universal Credit entitlement for people with children not in full-time education due to (a) special educational needs and disabilities or (b) other health issues.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether ulcerative colitis is classified as an official disability; and what protections in law are available to people with that condition.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Government does not provide an exhaustive list of recognised or protected disabilities. Rather, the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. The Act describes “long-term” as an impairment that has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least 12 months, or where the impairment is likely to last for the rest of a person’s life; while “substantial” is defined as an impairment that is more than minor or trivial.
The Act is clear that it is not necessary for the cause of the impairment to be established, nor does the impairment have to be the result of an illness. A disability can therefore arise from a wide range of impairments, and any person that falls within this definition - which may include those with ulcerative colitis - will already be protected as having a disability.