Oral Answers to Questions

Justin Tomlinson Excerpts

Monday 29th June 2020 Commons Chamber

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

What estimate she has made of the average time taken to process work capability assessments during the covid-19 outbreak.

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Justin Tomlinson)]

We have temporarily suspended face-to-face work capability assessments so that we do not place people at unnecessary risk. Healthcare professionals continue to make recommendations based on paper-based evidence where possible, and we have introduced telephone assessments. We are in the early phases of delivering telephone assessments and are closely monitoring the processing times.

[Bambos Charalambous]

One of my constituents who has progressive multiple sclerosis and is partially paralysed on his left side had to undergo a work capability assessment by phone. This resulted in his personal independence payment being cancelled, and then reviewed and reinstated at a lower rate. The decision is now being appealed so that he can get the higher level of PIP that he was previously on. Does the Minister agree that stringent safeguards need to be in place when making such telephone assessments to ensure that poor decisions are avoided?

[Justin Tomlinson]

I absolutely agree. We have independent audits looking at this. We are in the early stages of using telephone assessments, and there is a mix of the benefits because the WCA is separate from PIP. PIP is a few weeks further on in terms of using telephone assessments. Stakeholders welcome the opportunity and it is something we will explore in the Green Paper. However, I am happy to look at the individual case.

[Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) (Con)]

What steps her Department is taking to tailor employment support to local labour market conditions.

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[Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)]

What support her Department provides for people required to self-isolate as a result of exposure to covid-19 who are not eligible for statutory sick pay.

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Justin Tomlinson)]

We have made changes so that statutory sick pay and employment and support allowance are payable to people who are self-isolating, including those who are shielding and who satisfy the conditions of entitlement. We have removed the waiting days, so these are paid from day one, and households may also be able to claim universal credit.

[Andrew Gwynne [V]]

But the lowest-paid in this country and about 3 million self-employed and others are excluded from what is already one of the lowest rates of statutory sick pay in Europe. As test and trace is stepped up, many of those will be told to self-isolate, potentially multiple times, so how does the Minister propose that we can emerge safely from lockdown if people are not supported in these circumstances? What is he going to do about this group?

[Justin Tomlinson]

In addition to providing support through statutory sick pay, we are expecting employers to do the right thing, and we will be working with employers to make sure employees can transition back to work safely. That is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Health and Safety Executive will continue to provide proactive guidance to employers.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab) [V]]

At DWP questions on 11 May, I asked the Minister whether his Department would increase legacy benefits, such as employment and support allowance, to help shielding and disabled people cover the increasing costs of basic items such as food, toiletries and personal protective equipment for themselves and their carers. Seven weeks on, can the Minister update us on how much progress his Department has made? As we move towards planning for a potential second wave, it is vital that we get this right.

[Justin Tomlinson]

As a Department, we have rightly put an additional £6.5 billion into welfare support, on top of the £500 million hardship fund provided to local authorities. I welcome the further additional £63 million to boost council welfare support so that no one goes without food and other basic necessities in the coming months.

[Scott Benton (Blackpool South) (Con)]

What steps her Department is taking to promote employment opportunities as the economy reopens and the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

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[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

When she plans to publish the findings of the Government’s review announced in July 2019 of how the welfare system supports people who are terminally ill.

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Justin Tomlinson)]

The evaluation remains a priority for the Department. We have made good progress and expect to be able to provide an update on the outcome of the evaluation shortly.

[Chris Evans]

Motor neurone disease is an utterly wicked, terrible disease. Those who have it are locked in and see their bodies waste away, while their families watch their loved ones slowly slide away. However, only 50% of those people diagnosed with motor neurone disease can claim under the personal independence payment special rules—about which the Minister knows—because of the six-month life expectancy rule; the others have to go through the standard procedures, which can lead to delays. The Department launched a terminal illness review more than a year ago. The Minister has it in his gift to change the rules and ensure that all people with motor neurone disease are allowed to claim under the PIP special rules. On behalf of all those families who are suffering—it is only a small number—I ask him: will he make that change today?

[Justin Tomlinson]

I thank the hon. Member for setting out powerfully the torment and challenges that MND sufferers face; he has been a champion of their cause in Parliament. I am grateful for the part that the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Hospice UK, Macmillan, Marie Curie, Sue Ryder, the national nurse consultant group and others have played in the evaluation. The Secretary of State and I are passionate about making changes: it will not be the status quo. Covid-19 caused a delay to the final part of the consultation with the medical professionals, but we will bring forward a change shortly.

[John Lamont]

I know that the Minister will be aware that the benefits awarded under the special rules for terminal illness last for three years, but on behalf of my constituent Doddie Weir, the former Scotland rugby player, who has been campaigning on the issue, will my hon. Friend consider scrapping the three-year limit on awards under the special rules to avoid distressing situations for those suffering with MND and other terminal illnesses?

[Justin Tomlinson]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this. I know that he has campaigned hard on the matter. We are reviewing all areas. The key three themes are: the six months and not having the status quo; improving consistency; and raising awareness to ensure that all those who will benefit from the special rules know what is available.

[Geraint Davies (Swansea West) (Lab/Co-op)]

If she will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on trends in the level of food insecurity among the poorest communities since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

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[Neil O’Brien (Harborough) (Con)]

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of benefits for people with severe disabilities.

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Justin Tomlinson)]

As a Government, we are currently spending £55 billion supporting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. The level of financial support will reflect the level of disability or condition of the claimant.

[Neil O’Brien [V]]

I thank the Minister for his advice the other day regarding my disabled constituent Tom Hipgrave. Although the support provided by PIP is vital, what more is my hon. Friend doing to help those with severe disabilities, like Tom?

[Justin Tomlinson]

My hon. Friend is a very diligent representative of his constituents, as I saw with the casework he raised. Our forthcoming Green Paper is key, as is our national strategy for disabled people, where we will explore other ways to offer greater support, such as advocacy, signposting and removing barriers across Government and in wider society.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

What recent estimate she has made of the number of women who have been underpaid their state pension uplift as a result of an administrative error.

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[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Justin Tomlinson)]

When it is safe to do so, I would love to visit and see the work of RCS. I pay tribute to the great work it is doing in its community. We understand the role of good mental wellbeing and helping individuals into the job market, and in Wales we have provided £1.3 million to test the new individual placement and support. We also provide contracted employment support programmes specifically tailored to disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, as well as administering the Access to Work scheme and the Disability Confident campaign.

[Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

Will the Minister confirm that senior management in the Department for Work and Pensions are suggesting that an additional 31,000 staff are needed to cope with increased universal credit claims? We have heard from Ministers that this week they are reopening jobcentres and reintroducing conditionality and sanctions, at a time when the Department has nowhere near the required number of staff available. Surely this action will heap stress and suffering on claimants and staff alike, so what measures will the Minister introduce to avoid this chaos?

[Stuart Anderson (Wolverhampton South West) (Con)]

Will my right hon. Friend assure me that experiences of disabled people will be front and centre of the disability Green Paper?

[Justin Tomlinson]

I can absolutely reassure my hon. Friend that disabled people will be at the very heart of the consultation on both the Green Paper and the national strategy for disabled people. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will begin the roadshow of consultation across the whole country, making sure that all voices are heard and shape our future priorities.

[Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) (Lab)]

The Child Poverty Action Group and the Church of England estimate that by April 2020, around 230,000 families had been hit by the two-child limit, causing huge distress to children and their families in the middle of the pandemic, and that 1.3 million children will be forced into poverty—or, if they already face poverty, into deeper poverty. When will Ministers scrap this cruel and vicious policy that is punishing children?

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[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

Schemes such as Access to Work are vital in helping many disabled people start and remain in work. Will my hon. Friend outline how the Department is flexing existing support to help those disabled people, many of whom are now required to work from home?

[Justin Tomlinson]

That is a very important point. We are looking at additional ways we can support people, through Access to Work, to travel to and from their home to work and in terms of their ability to work from home. There are opportunities for us to make some of those changes more permanent as we start to return to normality.

[Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP)]

The Minister talks of fairness with regard to the two-child limit, but how can it be fair that the 60,000 families who have made a claim since lockdown began, who could not have anticipated having to claim universal credit, are now struggling to feed their third or subsequent children? They could not have planned for this; how is that fair?