Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether diagnoses by private healthcare providers are accepted by his Department when a person claims the upper level of Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
We do not make entitlement decisions based solely on a diagnosis, whether provided by an NHS or private healthcare provider.
For people claiming Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance, decisions are based on how a person’s health condition or disability affects their functional ability.
We consider all relevant medical evidence provided by the claimant, including from private healthcare professionals, where it is available. This evidence is assessed alongside other information as part of the Work Capability Assessment process.
For claimants meeting the Severe Conditions Criteria, which from April 2026 is linked to higher levels of entitlement, this requires a confirmed diagnosis supported by appropriate clinical evidence. This may include evidence from private healthcare professionals, provided they are appropriately qualified and regulated, and the diagnosis is evidenced within NHS records and aligns with NHS best practice.
Final decisions are made by DWP Decision Makers, who consider the totality of the evidence to determine entitlement in line with the legislation.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
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 improve service accessibility for deaf claimants who also have additional support needs.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department is committed to pursuing a just, equal, and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for everyone, including our deaf customers.
Customers can communicate with us using Relay UK. We also offer email as a reasonable adjustment as well as a range of different (or alternative) formats such as Easy Read, which uses succinct and simplified language combined with images to convey information about government benefits and services.
UC customers can also communicate with us using the UC journal.
As a department we continue to recognise the importance and value of British Sign Language. We take our commitments seriously and are continuously seeking ways to improve the BSL services we offer.
We’re almost one year into our BSL 5-year plan and have made good progress against our goals. This includes:
For customers with additional support needs, the department offers a wide range of reasonable adjustments, including a visiting service for vulnerable customers who are unable to use our other contact routes, and support from Disability Employment Advisors within our jobcentres.
We continue to review our services and make improvements to ensure they are accessible and responsive to customer needs.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
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 improve access to his Department's services for deaf claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Department is committed to pursuing a just, equal, and inclusive society, ensuring independence and control for everyone, including our deaf customers.
Customers can communicate with us using Relay UK. We also offer email as a reasonable adjustment as well as a range of different (or alternative) formats such as Easy Read, which uses succinct and simplified language combined with images to convey information about government benefits and services.
UC customers can also communicate with us using the UC journal.
As a department we continue to recognise the importance and value of British Sign Language. We take our commitments seriously and are continuously seeking ways to improve the BSL services we offer.
We’re almost one year into our BSL 5-year plan and have made good progress against our goals. This includes:
For customers with additional support needs, the department offers a wide range of reasonable adjustments, including a visiting service for vulnerable customers who are unable to use our other contact routes, and support from Disability Employment Advisors within our jobcentres.
We continue to review our services and make improvements to ensure they are accessible and responsive to customer needs.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to encourage employers to provide feedback to job applicants who are unsuccessful.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The DWP encourages employers to provide feedback to unsuccessful job applicants wherever possible. This includes asking employers to adapt their recruitment processes so they can identify applicants and share outcome information with Employer Adviser teams, enabling Work Coaches to support individuals to strengthen future applications. Where employers are unable to provide structured feedback, Jobcentre Plus continues to seek voluntary comments, using this insight to enhance employability support and address any barriers identified. The National Careers Service also works closely with individuals, providing tailored careers guidance and feedback to help them improve the quality of future applications
Ahead of vacancies going live, the Department also works with employers to help Work Coaches and Employer Advisers better understand recruitment processes and what employers are looking for in applications. This enables them to support jobseekers to be better prepared before applying for roles.