Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how often her Department visits health assessment centres in person to audit the performance of assessment providers.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not have a contractual obligation to perform regular visits to assessment centres, but does retain the right to visit any assessment centre, at any time, subject to reasonable notice. The department exercises this right, with Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Work Capability Assessment (WCA) performance managers visiting assessment centres on an informal basis.
The department has set standards for the quality of assessments for all its assessment providers and independent auditors. The department ensures a high standard is maintained by having an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its providers. Audit refers to a comprehensive check of the elements of the assessment, including the evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the assessment report completed by the health professional.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 1 November to Question 72384, if he will publish the training material which is shared between assessment providers.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Although assessment providers share training material between themselves to encourage best practice, we have no plans to publish the training material.
The department introduced a Clinical Governance Quality Standards (CGQS) Framework to ensure that consistent quality standards are applied by all assessment providers. The CGQS Forum has the remit to facilitate embedding of the CGQS Framework across the department and its assessment providers. They share best practice including training and learning from leading national and international organisations, to continuously improve quality.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 1 November to Question 72384, if she will publish her Department's audit procedures for assessment providers.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment provider audit procedures can be found in sections 3.4 and 3.5 of the PIP assessment guide.
Details relating to the audit procedures for Centre for Health and Disability Assessments can be found in schedule 2.1 section 40 of the Health and Disability Assessment Services contract.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of tribunals attended by presenting officers were allowed in each month from January 2013 to October 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Analysis of unpublished data held by the Department for Work and Pensions provides data on the proportion of tribunals attended by Presenting Officers (PO) where the decision was overturned. This data only covers Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) tribunals. To provide information across all other DWP administered benefits or for PIP and ESA prior to April 2016 would incur disproportionate cost.
This data is unpublished. It should be used with caution, and it may be subject to future revision.
Proportion of tribunals attended by Presenting Officers where the decision was overturned, by month from April 2016 – June 2022
| Proportion of appeals overturned where Presenting Officer attended | |
Hearing Date | PIP | ESA |
Apr-16 | 64% | 38% |
May-16 | 63% | 51% |
Jun-16 | 61% | 49% |
Jul-16 | 61% | 42% |
Aug-16 | 58% | 52% |
Sep-16 | 62% | 33% |
Oct-16 | 61% | 52% |
Nov-16 | 61% | 56% |
Dec-16 | 64% | 62% |
Jan-17 | 61% | 61% |
Feb-17 | 63% | 60% |
Mar-17 | 63% | 62% |
Apr-17 | 68% | 58% |
May-17 | 66% | 66% |
Jun-17 | 68% | 71% |
Jul-17 | 67% | 69% |
Aug-17 | 68% | 71% |
Sep-17 | 69% | 67% |
Oct-17 | 68% | 67% |
Nov-17 | 70% | 67% |
Dec-17 | 69% | 70% |
Jan-18 | 71% | 69% |
Feb-18 | 73% | 70% |
Mar-18 | 69% | 71% |
Apr-18 | 73% | 68% |
May-18 | 72% | 71% |
Jun-18 | 71% | 69% |
Jul-18 | 72% | 70% |
Aug-18 | 74% | 67% |
Sep-18 | 74% | 72% |
Oct-18 | 71% | 70% |
Nov-18 | 73% | 68% |
Dec-18 | 73% | 69% |
Jan-19 | 71% | 69% |
Feb-19 | 73% | 65% |
Mar-19 | 73% | 69% |
Apr-19 | 72% | 72% |
May-19 | 73% | 70% |
Jun-19 | 75% | 72% |
Jul-19 | 72% | 70% |
Aug-19 | 72% | 72% |
Sep-19 | 73% | 71% |
Oct-19 | 73% | 76% |
Nov-19 | 74% | 69% |
Dec-19 | 76% | 74% |
Jan-20 | 72% | 65% |
Feb-20 | 74% | 70% |
Mar-20 | 76% | 73% |
Apr-20 | 100% | 20% |
May-20 | 83% | 25% |
Jun-20 | 73% | 69% |
Jul-20 | 78% | 60% |
Aug-20 | 63% | 27% |
Sep-20 | 60% | 53% |
Oct-20 | 64% | 26% |
Nov-20 | 69% | 69% |
Dec-20 | 65% | 40% |
Jan-21 | 62% | 57% |
Feb-21 | 60% | 60% |
Mar-21 | 63% | 56% |
Apr-21 | 70% | 50% |
May-21 | 68% | 52% |
Jun-21 | 68% | 50% |
Jul-21 | 66% | 47% |
Aug-21 | 70% | 55% |
Sep-21 | 70% | 65% |
Oct-21 | 67% | 59% |
Nov-21 | 67% | 63% |
Dec-21 | 70% | 60% |
Jan-22 | 71% | 66% |
Feb-22 | 76% | 71% |
Mar-22 | 77% | 62% |
Apr-22 | 75% | 58% |
May-22 | 72% | 58% |
Jun-22 | 75% | 64% |
Note: Number of overturns where PO attended shown as a percentage of appeals where a decision was made, therefore excluding those not cleared or withdrawn/struck out.
Appeals data is taken from the DWP computer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons, such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.
We have provided data up to June 2022, in line with published statistics.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many health professionals employed by assessment providers have been dismissed as a result of poor performance in the last three years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Health Professionals (HPs) are subject to a rigorous recruitment process, followed by a comprehensive training programme. Given the high standards expected of HPs, it is anticipated that a number may not meet the required standard during the training and probation period.
All HPs are subject to on-going monitoring of the standard of their assessments. If any issues are identified there is a process in place to support the HPs to improve the quality of their assessments. Where they fall below the required standards and do not improve, processes are in place to revoke their approval to undertake assessments.
The number of HPs employed by assessment providers who have been dismissed as a result of poor performance in the last three years is shown in the table below:
Provider | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Capita (Personal Independence Payment - PIP) | 17 | 30 | 39 |
Independent Assessment Services (IAS) (PIP) | 76 | 61 | 69 |
Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) | 1 | 9 | 9 |
Please note
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many presenting officers attended tribunals on behalf of her Department in each month from January 2013 to October 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Analysis of unpublished data held by the Department for Work and Pensions provides data on the number of tribunals where Presenting Officers (PO) attended. This data only covers Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) tribunals. To provide information across all other DWP administered benefits or for PIP and ESA prior to April 2016 would incur disproportionate cost.
This data is unpublished. It should be used with caution, and it may be subject to future revision.
Tribunals attended by Presenting Officers, by month from April 2016 – June 2022
| Number of PO attendances | |
Hearing Date | PIP | ESA |
Apr-16 | 530 | 130 |
May-16 | 510 | 160 |
Jun-16 | 550 | 150 |
Jul-16 | 620 | 130 |
Aug-16 | 770 | 150 |
Sep-16 | 670 | 140 |
Oct-16 | 690 | 110 |
Nov-16 | 830 | 150 |
Dec-16 | 570 | 140 |
Jan-17 | 620 | 150 |
Feb-17 | 600 | 180 |
Mar-17 | 990 | 290 |
Apr-17 | 1,140 | 410 |
May-17 | 1,900 | 1,280 |
Jun-17 | 2,100 | 1,820 |
Jul-17 | 2,060 | 2,160 |
Aug-17 | 2,040 | 2,120 |
Sep-17 | 2,130 | 1,950 |
Oct-17 | 2,230 | 2,110 |
Nov-17 | 2,380 | 2,470 |
Dec-17 | 1,610 | 1,650 |
Jan-18 | 2,440 | 2,440 |
Feb-18 | 2,010 | 2,240 |
Mar-18 | 1,940 | 1,870 |
Apr-18 | 1,880 | 1,670 |
May-18 | 2,000 | 1,820 |
Jun-18 | 1,640 | 1,870 |
Jul-18 | 1,600 | 1,540 |
Aug-18 | 1,290 | 1,180 |
Sep-18 | 1,000 | 1,230 |
Oct-18 | 1,180 | 1,230 |
Nov-18 | 1,090 | 1,330 |
Dec-18 | 680 | 850 |
Jan-19 | 1,420 | 1,110 |
Feb-19 | 1,360 | 850 |
Mar-19 | 1,500 | 1,260 |
Apr-19 | 1,360 | 1,160 |
May-19 | 1,500 | 1,200 |
Jun-19 | 1,330 | 950 |
Jul-19 | 1,670 | 1,050 |
Aug-19 | 1,580 | 800 |
Sep-19 | 1,350 | 770 |
Oct-19 | 1,540 | 830 |
Nov-19 | 1,610 | 820 |
Dec-19 | 1,290 | 510 |
Jan-20 | 1,970 | 560 |
Feb-20 | 1,690 | 500 |
Mar-20 | 1,150 | 260 |
Apr-20 | 10 | 10 |
May-20 | 20 | 10 |
Jun-20 | 30 | 20 |
Jul-20 | 40 | 30 |
Aug-20 | 50 | 50 |
Sep-20 | 80 | 50 |
Oct-20 | 370 | 50 |
Nov-20 | 490 | 80 |
Dec-20 | 550 | 90 |
Jan-21 | 760 | 130 |
Feb-21 | 750 | 80 |
Mar-21 | 1,380 | 100 |
Apr-21 | 1,440 | 90 |
May-21 | 1,240 | 110 |
Jun-21 | 1,290 | 80 |
Jul-21 | 1,360 | 160 |
Aug-21 | 1,470 | 130 |
Sep-21 | 1,080 | 110 |
Oct-21 | 1,010 | 130 |
Nov-21 | 1,210 | 150 |
Dec-21 | 940 | 130 |
Jan-22 | 980 | 110 |
Feb-22 | 1,130 | 130 |
Mar-22 | 890 | 100 |
Apr-22 | 750 | 140 |
May-22 | 810 | 110 |
Jun-22 | 700 | 70 |
Note:
Appeals data is taken from the DWP computer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons, such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.
We have provided data up to June 2022, in line with published statistics.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures the government is taking to ensure employers in (a) Edmonton constituency, (b) Greater London, (c) England and across the UK fully support menopausal employees in their workplaces.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Women’s Health Strategy published by the Department of Health sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.
An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures the government is taking to ensure menopausal employees in (a) Edmonton constituency, (b) Greater London, (c) England and across the UK are fully supported in their workplaces.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Women’s Health Strategy published by the Department of Health sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.
An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on defending benefit appeals in each year from 2010 to 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP cover the administration costs of an Appeal. However, the Department is unable to provide the total government spend on defending appeals.
This is because appeals are a joint process between DWP and HM Courts and Tribunals Service. DWP do not handle tribunals for appeals; the cost of handling appeal tribunals sits with HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and we do not hold their cost information. If this information was required, we would suggest that this element of your request be submitted to HMCTS.
The only DWP staff who attend actual Tribunals (and therefore defend appeals) are Presenting Officers. We do not have information before 2013-14.
The information for the financial years covered by the request are detailed in the tables below:
2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 |
|
£3.69m | £5.18m | £4.45m | £5.42m |
|
2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
£7.93m | £7.16m | £6.47m | £1.45m | £5.77m |
Cost figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1m
Data Source: ABM
The cost figures quoted are estimated DWP level 1 operating costs, including both direct delivery staff and non-staff costs. Non-staff costs are only those costs incurred in local cost centres, relating to direct delivery staff.
Costs provided are for Presenting Officers only and excludes Admin Support or Decision Making operational staff dealing with the Appeals processing work. Child Maintenance Group figures include Enforcement Presenting Officers.
Please note that the data supplied is from the Departmental Activity Based Models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The Departmental Activity Based staffing models are a snapshot of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers.
The data is frequently revised and changes to definitions / benefits / DWP structure effect comparisons over time. It should therefore be treated with caution and must be seen as an indication of cost, rather than the actual cost.
2020/21 figures impacted by COVID
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the number of health and safety representatives in a workplace on the level of support provided to menopausal employees.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
All employers have a legal duty to consult and involve their employees on health and safety matters. For businesses that recognise trade unions, this legal duty will apply under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (as amended) and for non-unionised businesses it will apply under the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (as amended).
Both sets of regulations provide a legal framework for employers, trade unions and employees to reach agreement on arrangements for health and safety representatives and health and safety committees to operate in their workplace. The regulations do not determine how many safety representatives should be appointed, as this will depend on a number of factors, such as the size of the business and the number of employees.