Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the equality of the consideration given in the assessment process for (a) Personal Independence Payments and (b) other disability benefits to (i) neurological, (ii) physical and (iii) psychological conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We take our responsibility to ensure all individuals have access to our services without disadvantage, very seriously. We have a range of provisions in place to ensure assessments are accessible to all individuals, including those with brain injury and neurological conditions, in line with the standards under the Equality Act 2010.
Health assessments are designed to treat all individuals with health conditions and impairments fairly. The assessment criteria take account of the impact of all impairments on an individual’s ability to carry out a broad range of everyday activities.
As part of the functional health assessment process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance for all cases. Health professionals (HPs) may contact GPs, any named specialist medical professionals or the claimant if they need more information to undertake a paper-based review. In the circumstances that a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment. Before an invitation to assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances.
Companions are encouraged to attend and can play an active role during the assessment. This is helpful for claimants with mental, cognitive, or intellectual impairments who may not be able to provide an accurate account of their condition, due to a lack of understanding or unrealistic expectations of their ability. Companions can join the telephony assessment, as they would have for a face-to-face assessment. All assessment suppliers have introduced the capacity for four-way calls for assessments. This means the claimant and the HP can be joined by a companion or advocate as well as an interpreter if required. This gives claimants the opportunity to have the appropriate support during a remote assessment.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the assessment process for (a) Personal Independence Payments and (b) other disability benefits for people with (i) brain injury and (ii) neurological conditions.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We take our responsibility to ensure all individuals have access to our services without disadvantage, very seriously. We have a range of provisions in place to ensure assessments are accessible to all individuals, including those with brain injury and neurological conditions, in line with the standards under the Equality Act 2010.
Health assessments are designed to treat all individuals with health conditions and impairments fairly. The assessment criteria take account of the impact of all impairments on an individual’s ability to carry out a broad range of everyday activities.
As part of the functional health assessment process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance for all cases. Health professionals (HPs) may contact GPs, any named specialist medical professionals or the claimant if they need more information to undertake a paper-based review. In the circumstances that a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment. Before an invitation to assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances.
Companions are encouraged to attend and can play an active role during the assessment. This is helpful for claimants with mental, cognitive, or intellectual impairments who may not be able to provide an accurate account of their condition, due to a lack of understanding or unrealistic expectations of their ability. Companions can join the telephony assessment, as they would have for a face-to-face assessment. All assessment suppliers have introduced the capacity for four-way calls for assessments. This means the claimant and the HP can be joined by a companion or advocate as well as an interpreter if required. This gives claimants the opportunity to have the appropriate support during a remote assessment.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
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) old and (b) new State Pension recipients are equally financially supported.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.
Under both the old and new State Pension systems, the amount people receive varies according to their National Insurance record.
Over the course of this Parliament we expect over 12 million pensioners are likely to see their new State Pensions increase by £1700 as a result of our commitment to the Triple Lock.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the scope of Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations to include voluntary organisations.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004 require persons providing facilities for adventure activities in return for payment to hold a licence granted by the licensing authority in accordance with the regulations. Persons are not required to hold a licence where facilities are provided by a voluntary association to its members or members of other voluntary associations by agreement between the associations. Since 2007 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been the licensing authority for the regulations.
In 2018 HSE consulted stakeholders as part of a review of the delivery and scope of adventure activity licensing. In preparation for that consultation HSE considered and decided against extending licensing to include exempt persons such as voluntary organisations. This was on the basis that:
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
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 accessibility of information on a deceased partner’s pension for unmarried couples where the couple had (a) remained together and (b) recently separated prior to the death of the partner.
Answered by Paul Maynard
There has been no recent assessment of the accessibility of information on a deceased partner’s State Pension for unmarried couples, where the couple had either remained together or recently separated prior to the death of the partner.
Private pensions rights to survivor benefits in private occupational pensions are many and varied, and will depend on factors such as scheme rules, and choices made by the scheme member.
General information on survivor benefits for unmarried couples is available from Money Helper and delivered by the Money and Pensions Service: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
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 a bereaved unmarried couple's ability to access a deceased partner’s workplace pension following a separation on grounds of domestic abuse.
Answered by Paul Maynard
The Department has recently looked at cohabiting couples’ rights in relation to their deceased partner’s occupational pension more widely, in response to recommendation 5 of the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s Second Report into Cohabiting Couples.
Our assessment was published on pages 5 and 6 of The rights of cohabiting partners: Government response to the Committee’s Second Report (parliament.uk) on 1st November 2022. A Letter from the Minister for Pensions on the rights of cohabiting partners to the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, published on 18th July this year outlined my Department’s most recent work in this area.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
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 adequacy of benefit levels for self-employed people on sick leave claiming New Style Employment and Support Allowance compared to employed individuals claiming Statutory Sick Pay.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Depending on their specific circumstances, self-employed people may be eligible for financial support through new style Employment and Support Allowance.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is both administered and paid entirely by employers at a rate of £109.40 per week. It provides a measure of earnings replacement to eligible employees who are sick and incapable of work, and is payable from the fourth qualifying day of sickness absence.
SSP is just one part of our wider Government offer to support people in times of need. Where an individual’s income is reduced, and they have a health condition or disability which restricts the amount of work they can do, or prevents them from working altogether and they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit or new style Employment and Support Allowance, where they meet the entitlement criteria. The level of entitlement would be determined by the individual’s circumstances.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
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 accessibility of the process for self-employed people on sick leave to claim New Style Employment and Support Allowance.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
A self-employed person can make a new claim for new style ESA using the online application form or, where they are unable to claim online, by calling the Jobcentre Plus new claims helpline. In order to qualify, they will need to satisfy the basic entitlement and National Insurance contribution conditions.
Self-employed customers follow the standard customer journey. The online claim process gathers employment information and asks them to identify whether they are (or were) employed or self-employed. Customers identifying as self-employed are assessed by a decision maker to determine their eligibility to claim ESA based on the claim data. If the decision maker requires further information, they contact the customer to obtain relevant details. The claim is then processed as per the standard claim process and payment is issued if appropriate.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the overall financial support available for self-employed people (a) over and (b) under 25 who are on sick leave.
Answered by Guy Opperman
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had discussions with people with Multiple Sclerosis on the adequacy of (a) informal observations, (b) the 50 percent rule and (c) the 20-meter rule for determining Personal Independence Payment awards.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was established in collaboration with a wide range of experts and following a comprehensive public consultation between 2010-2012 with stakeholders, including the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
As referenced in my responses on 21 April 2023, UIN181230, and 24 April 2023, UIN181064:
More recently the department ran a series of events with charities (including the MS Society on 30 September 2020) which helped to shape Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper.
Many of the changes set out in Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper aim to improve our assessment of fluctuating conditions, such as the way we use medical evidence, and developing the capability of our assessors. We will also explore options for introducing a new way of gathering evidence of fluctuation in a person’s condition before their assessment.