Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take in response to the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report, Women's State Pension age: our findings on the Department for Work and Pensions' communication of changes, printed on 19 July 2021, HC 444.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Ombudsman’s investigation is ongoing and section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”. It is not appropriate to comment on the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report of 19 July 2021 on stage 1 of their investigation.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appointments for claimants applying for personal independence payments have been rearranged or cancelled at the request of a person other than the claimant in (a) Plymouth and (b) the South West in the last 12 months.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department does not publish data on the number of Personal Independence Payment assessments cancelled and re-arranged. To check the validity of the data would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants transferring from disability living allowance to personal independence payments have had their claim disallowed due to non-attendance at an assessment appointment.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
As at July 2016, of the 466,400 Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment clearances, 10,600 had been disallowed for failure to attend an assessment consultation without good reason.
Notes to the figures: Data has been rounded to the nearest 100.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appointments for claimants transferring from disability living allowance to personal independence payments have been rearranged or cancelled at the request of a person other than the claimant in (a) Plymouth and (b) the South West in the last 12 months.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his previous question UIN 52915.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appointments for claimants transferring from disability living allowance to personal independence payments have been rearranged or cancelled at the request of a person other than the claimant in (a) Plymouth and (b) the South West in the last 12 months; and of those rearranged appointments how many claimants received (i) one strike and (ii) two strikes as a result.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The information requested is not collected and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Johnny Mercer (Conservative - Plymouth, Moor View)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with degenerative illnesses are included within the employment and support allowance work-related activity group in (a) Plymouth, (b) the South West and (c) England; and whether any special provision is made for people who have degenerative conditions.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
As two people with the same condition can be affected in different ways, there is no condition based entitlement to Employment Support Allowance. The Work Capability Assessment recognises that conditions can vary in their severity and therefore people with the same condition can be placed in the Work Related Activity Group or the Support Group.