Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides for people who have had their PIP suspended and are awaiting an appeal hearing.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are nine possible award outcomes on a claim to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), ranging from a nil award through to an award of the enhanced rate of both the daily living and mobility component. The decision on a claim to, or an existing award of, PIP persists in law until such time as a new decision is made. As such, a claimant appealing against their decision will continue to receive the level of award, if any, that the decision entitles them to until such time as a new decision is made by the tribunal. Payment of that existing award will only be suspended in cases where there is evidence to suggest the award in place is incorrect, such as in cases of suspected fraud.
Claimants to PIP, whether they are appealing against a decision or not, can be entitled to a range of additional support depending on their circumstances, including benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 staff administering Disability Living Allowance claims provide claimants with a complete understanding of the benefits they are entitled to receive.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All Disability Living Allowance (DLA) staff receive extensive training in the DLA customer journey and have an awareness of other benefits. When claiming Disability Living Allowance, a detailed notification and an additional leaflet are also issued to the customer which explain wider benefit entitlement options and we also encourage customers to visit the Gov.uk website which provides details of additional benefits they may be entitled to.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 the accuracy of PIP assessment decisions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
PIP assessment accuracy and quality is a priority for both suppliers and the department. The department works extensively with suppliers to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service. A high standard is always maintained through an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its suppliers.
DWP have a comprehensive and on-going quality assurance process in the decision-making journey and work closely with colleagues in Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), who are responsible for reconsiderations and appeals, to understand and learn from decisions that are changed. This also helps to maintain standards and consistency.
The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services to create a more efficient service and an improved claimant experience, building trust in our services and decisions. The HTP Evaluation Strategy, published here on GOV.UK, provides an overview of our plans to evaluate the Programme.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 (a) the accuracy of Child Maintenance Service calculations and (b) that the process of correcting mistakes in those calculations is (i) faster and (ii) easier.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the year to June 2024 there were 138,000 new applications to the CMS, an increase of 10% from the year to June 2023.
To ensure calculations are accurate the department continues to build on its already proportionate and cost-effective controls, such as:
CMS are wholly committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload.
Where a single accidental error relating to the maintenance calculation is made, a challenge can be raised by a parent or their representative within time, and corrections can be applied without the need for a review of the decision (MR).
The Department for Work and Pensions and CMS rigorously monitors accuracy as part of our service ambition to further reduce error and increase our accuracy levels. The National Audit Office set a target of monetary value errors under 1%. This standard is consistently met.