Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214641 on Personal Independence Payment: Appeals, what estimate she has made of the clearance times for mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments (a) nationally and (b) in the North East of England in (i) November 2018, (ii) December 2018 and (iii) January 2019.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Data on clearance times for mandatory reconsiderations for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is currently available up to October 2018 as provided in the response to Question 214641 on 4 February 2019.
Information for the period November 2018 to January 2019 will be available once the data processing and quality assurance is complete for the next release of the PIP Official Statistics on 19 March 2019. Until then the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, what estimate she has made of the clearance times for mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments (a) nationally and (b) in the North East of England.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The median clearance time, in calendar days, for a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) to be cleared was 34 days for both Great Britain and the North East of England in the period April to October 2018.
This data on MR clearance times is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision. Data has been provided for the period to October 2018 to be consistent with the latest official statistics that have been published on MR clearance volumes.
MR is a key element of the decision making process for both the Department and claimants, and whilst ensuring they make quality decisions, decision makers work hard to clear applications without delay. Gathering the right evidence is critical at the MR stage if decisions are not to go to appeal; and we are reviewing our processes to not only obtain this, but to do so whilst continuing to make decisions timeously.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134635 on the Department for Work and Pensions: telephone services, how many times her Department has made a referral to the National Trading Standards Board about a website that has failed to publicise the cost of a call to her Department since the introduction of freephone numbers in 2017.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Since the introduction of freephone numbers at the end of 2017, the Department for Work and Pensions has referred 6 websites to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau following concerns about the how the information relating to the cost of calls is displayed.
The referrals were made to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau rather than the National Trading Standards Board due to the nature of the concerns relating to the information on the cost of calls.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps are being taken to (a) make the HMRC Gateway service more accessible and (b) enable improved access to Government services for people with no online or digital access.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
(a) DWP are key stakeholders in the development of the new HMRC Government Gateway Service. HMRC are leading on user research around accessibility with DWP participation via Government Departmental Working Groups.
(b) We are working with partner organisations and with other departments to understand the level of support users of government services need. As part of this programme of work we are looking at the current internet devices we have in our Jobcentre Plus Offices, this includes Digital propensity, Digital Inclusion and the level of support DWP provides. DWP assures all our digital services meet the quality requirements of the Digital Service Standard which, includes both accessibility and assisted digital needs. Face to face appointments’ for claimants and free phone lines are part of the breadth of services we also have available to people without digital access.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of personal independence payments assessments on carers of people with disabilities.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Carer’s Allowance (CA) provides a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. In order for CA to be paid, the disabled person must be in receipt of a “gateway benefit” which includes the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Once a claim to Personal Independence Payment for the disabled person has been awarded, CA may be backdated to the date payment started. In order to have a claim to CA backdated, it must be made within three months of the decision on the disability benefit claim, and the qualifying conditions for CA must be satisfied throughout the past period.
Since 2010 the rate of CA has increased from £53.90 to £62.70 a week, meaning an additional £450 a year for carers. In April 2018, a further increase to £64.60 is planned. This will mean that since 2010, the rate of CA will have increased by over £550 a year. Carers also have access to the full range of social security benefits according to their circumstances.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of personal independence payments assessments on carers of people with disabilities.
Answered by Sarah Newton
Carer’s Allowance (CA) provides a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. In order for CA to be paid, the disabled person must be in receipt of a “gateway benefit” which includes the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
Once a claim to Personal Independence Payment for the disabled person has been awarded, CA may be backdated to the date payment started. In order to have a claim to CA backdated, it must be made within three months of the decision on the disability benefit claim, and the qualifying conditions for CA must be satisfied throughout the past period.
Since 2010 the rate of CA has increased from £53.90 to £62.70 a week, meaning an additional £450 a year for carers. In April 2018, a further increase to £64.60 is planned. This will mean that since 2010, the rate of CA will have increased by over £550 a year. Carers also have access to the full range of social security benefits according to their circumstances.