Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ruth Cadbury and Penny Mordaunt

Wednesday 17th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Penny Mordaunt]

I do agree with my hon. Friend. The rules that we are constrained by have not prevented us from coming up with the funds needed to help those areas hit by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. This is also a lesson that we should continue to invest in our defence capabilities, because we were very reliant on our armed forces to get into those places.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

T3. Yesterday, officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed details for the repatriation of the Rohingya, but reports suggest that the Rohingya will have no guarantee of citizenship on their return, that they could be forced to return against their will, and that they will be vetted individually as potential terrorists. Before giving the UK Government’s support, what will the Minister do, beyond taking the two Governments at their word, to verify that repatriation for the Rohingya will be safe, voluntary and—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ruth Cadbury and Penny Mordaunt

Monday 9th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

15. If he will take steps to ensure that people applying for personal independence payments are seen by a specialist at their initial assessment.

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Penny Mordaunt)]

Personal independence payment assessments require specialist skills, which is why they are undertaken by qualified health professionals, who are experts in disability analysis, and focus on the effects of health conditions and impairments on an individual’s daily life.

[Ruth Cadbury]

That is not the experience of some of my constituents, including one who has a rare condition and is on the highest level of DLA, and so should automatically be entitled to PIP, but whose assessor had no knowledge of the condition and refused the PIP application. Will the Minister specify the exact training, experience and competence requirements an applicant would have to demonstrate to qualify as a healthcare professional who could undertake PIP assessments for the DWP?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I have stated many times in the House the categories of healthcare professionals who can work as PIP assessors—it is a long list—but I should point out that these people are not carrying out health assessments. They are not there to diagnose; they are there to record the impact of someone’s condition on their personal life, which is quite different. As I have said in answer to previous questions, we will introduce some new measures on PIP as part of our response to Paul Gray’s second review.