Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure disabled access and facilities are made available at all job centres and any other Departmental offices.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Department takes our responsibility to ensure all our customers have access to our services and facilities without disadvantage very seriously. Every DWP office has been assessed to ensure that we are compliant with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. Where suitable physical adaptations to buildings are not possible, the Department provides an alternative method of delivering our services where we are made aware that a customer has potential access issues, such as an appointment would be rearranged at a ground floor location or by a home visit.
Where structural constraints prevent us from providing dedicated toilet facilities for our customers with disability, arrangements are made for them to be accompanied to make use of staff facilities on request.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment support allowance assessments take into account expert advice, including medical advice.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Claimants are advised to submit any evidence that they have. If the Department or its assessment providers require further evidence, including any supporting medical evidence, they will request it directly from the clinician or other professionals involved in the claimant’s care. All Health Professionals are subject to on-going audit by our assessment providers to ensure that they deliver high quality assessments, including the appropriate use of further evidence. The Department also undertakes independent audit to ensure that the advice provided to the Department’s decision makers is of suitable quality, fully explained and justified.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) accuracy and (b) efficiency of the work capability assessment.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The contract between DWP and Centre for Health Disability Assessment (CHDA), which carries out Work Capability Assessments, contains a range of quality performance indicators and targets that are monitored on an on-going basis. DWP also has an independent audit team that audits a statistically valid sample of CHDA assessments on a monthly basis.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on working families of his proposed reductions to the work allowance of universal credit.
Answered by Priti Patel
The impact of the work allowance change on working families cannot be considered in isolation – it is part of a broader package of measures announced at the Summer Budget, such as the increase to the personal tax allowance and introduction of the national living wage.