Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Penny Mordaunt and Matt Warman

Monday 9th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

They are published; they were published a few weeks ago. We will shortly bring forward our response to Paul Gray’s second review, which will contain further things that I hope the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Stephanie Peacock) will welcome.

[Matt Warman (Boston and Skegness) (Con)]

T8. I recently met the excellent local branch of the charity Scope in Boston. It praised the Government’s work on changing the testing regime for those with long-term conditions, but asked what progress are the Government making on their continued bid to simplify the bureaucracy of the forms and the application process for benefits to which people are entitled?

[Penny Mordaunt]

The severe conditions criteria are a big step forward and will save people from having to go through reassessments. I have already stated that we intend to do more on PIP and the work capability assessment. The severe conditions criteria also allow us to save bureaucracy at local government level. If we can passport that information to local government, it will help with things such as the blue badge scheme and other forms that people have to fill in that are not directly supplied by DWP or the Government.