Written Question
Tuesday 31st March 2026
Asked by:
Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many PIP claimants were required to show a form of identification during their application in the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Timms
- Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All PIP customers are required to verify their identity during the application process. This can be done using a variety of evidence, including photographic identification if appropriate.
The following documentation can be used by British Nationals making a PIP application as part of the process to verify their identity:
- British Passport
- UK Driving Licence
- Armed Forces ID card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- Police warrant card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- National Health Service (NHS) ID card containing a biometric chip (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- ID cards carrying the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) accreditation logo (UK and Channel Islands)
- HM Armed Forces Veteran Card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, which indicates the holder is entitled to take up employment in the UK
In some circumstances - where they fully meet the lay conditions - someone who is not a British national can claim PIP. The Eligibility criteria to claim PIP for someone who is not a British National can be found here: Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility - GOV.UK
You must:
- normally live in or show that you intend to settle in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
- not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get PIP. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply.
If a customer meets this eligibility criteria, then the following documents can be provided to prove their identity:
- Passport of European Union (EU) or other nationalities
- Identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country that follow Regulation - 2252/2004 - EN - EUR-Lex (link is external)
- A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of an EEA country or Switzerland
- A permanent residence card issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to the family member of a national of a EEA country or Switzerland
- A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control and either:
- is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK
- has the right of abode in the UK
- has no time limit on their stay in the UK
- An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office or the United Kingdom Border Agency to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom
- EU or other nationalities photo-card driving licence accompanied by an international driving permit, valid up to 12 months up to the date of when the individual entered the UK (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- ARC (Application Registration Card) and Home Office Decision Grant Letter. These documents can be used together if the information is the same and confirmed by the Home Office to verify ID, but only by exception, when a refugee has not had their UKVI account created by the Home Office to access their eVisa. One without the other cannot be accepted
- Home Office ‘View and Prove’ eVisa service (can only be accepted face-to-face).
Please note that although a document is listed, there may be a need for accompanying evidence alongside any of these to sufficiently prove someone’s identity.
Written Question
Tuesday 31st March 2026
Asked by:
Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forms of photographic identification are accepted from applicants who do not hold a UK passport or driving licence during the PIP application process.
Answered by Stephen Timms
- Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All PIP customers are required to verify their identity during the application process. This can be done using a variety of evidence, including photographic identification if appropriate.
The following documentation can be used by British Nationals making a PIP application as part of the process to verify their identity:
- British Passport
- UK Driving Licence
- Armed Forces ID card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- Police warrant card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- National Health Service (NHS) ID card containing a biometric chip (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- ID cards carrying the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) accreditation logo (UK and Channel Islands)
- HM Armed Forces Veteran Card (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen, which indicates the holder is entitled to take up employment in the UK
In some circumstances - where they fully meet the lay conditions - someone who is not a British national can claim PIP. The Eligibility criteria to claim PIP for someone who is not a British National can be found here: Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility - GOV.UK
You must:
- normally live in or show that you intend to settle in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
- not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get PIP. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply.
If a customer meets this eligibility criteria, then the following documents can be provided to prove their identity:
- Passport of European Union (EU) or other nationalities
- Identity cards from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country that follow Regulation - 2252/2004 - EN - EUR-Lex (link is external)
- A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office to a national of an EEA country or Switzerland
- A permanent residence card issued by the Home Office or the Border and Immigration Agency to the family member of a national of a EEA country or Switzerland
- A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control and either:
- is allowed to stay indefinitely in the UK
- has the right of abode in the UK
- has no time limit on their stay in the UK
- An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office or the United Kingdom Border Agency to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom
- EU or other nationalities photo-card driving licence accompanied by an international driving permit, valid up to 12 months up to the date of when the individual entered the UK (can only be accepted face-to-face)
- ARC (Application Registration Card) and Home Office Decision Grant Letter. These documents can be used together if the information is the same and confirmed by the Home Office to verify ID, but only by exception, when a refugee has not had their UKVI account created by the Home Office to access their eVisa. One without the other cannot be accepted
- Home Office ‘View and Prove’ eVisa service (can only be accepted face-to-face).
Please note that although a document is listed, there may be a need for accompanying evidence alongside any of these to sufficiently prove someone’s identity.
Written Question
Tuesday 31st March 2026
Asked by:
Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question
to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many telephone-based PIP assessments are recorded.
Answered by Stephen Timms
- Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not hold readily available data on the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments that are recorded by assessment channel.
As set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the department intends to move to a position where all health assessments are recorded by default, with a process allowing claimants to opt out should they wish to do so. This change is intended to improve transparency and trust in the assessment process. Work is under way to implement this measure.
Speech in Written Corrections - Wed 25 Mar 2026
Work and Pensions
"The working-age benefits bill is set to reach £171 billion by the end of this Parliament, yet the Government are doing nothing to get it under control. In fact, by scrapping the two-child cap, they have added another £3 billion. It is time to stop spending and get saving. The …..."Helen Whately - View Speech
View all Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent) contributions to the debate on: Work and Pensions
Speech in Written Corrections - Wed 25 Mar 2026
Work and Pensions
"The working-age benefits bill is set to reach £171 billion by the end of this Parliament, yet the Government are doing nothing to get it under control. In fact, by scrapping the two-child cap, they have added another £3 billion. It is time to stop spending and get saving. The …..."Helen Whately - View Speech
View all Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent) contributions to the debate on: Work and Pensions
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 24 Mar 2026
Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
"The Minister mentioned that the water taskforce will be meeting with David Hinton, the chief executive of South East Water, to hold him to account for its abysmal performance in the recent outages. If that taskforce finds that South East Water’s response has been inadequate, as I believe it was, …..."Helen Whately - View Speech
View all Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent) contributions to the debate on: Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 24 Mar 2026
Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
"I commend my right hon. Friend on securing this debate and on the speech he is making about the challenge of supplying water to Tonbridge and Malling, now and in the future with such a huge number of developments planned. Given the difficulty of supplying water to his constituency, where …..."Helen Whately - View Speech
View all Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent) contributions to the debate on: Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 24 Mar 2026
Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
"Will the Minister give way?..."Helen Whately - View Speech
View all Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent) contributions to the debate on: Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
Speech in Westminster Hall - Tue 24 Mar 2026
Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
"I thank the Minister very much for taking a second intervention from me. I do not disagree that the country needs more homes; that is an accepted fact. However, what we have seen under her Government is housing targets being shifted out of London, so that London’s numbers have fallen …..."Helen Whately - View Speech
View all Helen Whately (Con - Faversham and Mid Kent) contributions to the debate on: Water Supply and Housing Targets: West Kent
Division Vote (Commons)
24 Mar 2026 - Defence -
View Vote Context
Helen Whately (Con) voted Aye
- in line with the party majority
and against the House
One of
95 Conservative Aye votes vs
0 Conservative No votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 98 Noes - 306