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Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Apprentices
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department (a) paid in apprenticeship levy fees and (b) spent from its apprenticeship levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department has contributed £25,036,238 in Levy funds between September 2021 and August 2023. During the same period the department has spent £12,026,054.

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished accounts information, that for the period April to August 2023 has not been independently audited.


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Feltham and Heston
Wednesday 17th January 2024

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) schemes and (b) grants their Department administers that are open for (i) individuals, (ii) organisations and (iii) other groups in Feltham and Heston constituency to apply for as of 10 January 2024.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As of 10 January 2024, the only grant scheme administered directly by the Department that is open for individuals to apply for is Access to Work which aims to support individuals with physical or mental health conditions or disabilities to stay in work. Individuals can apply online or by phone.

The Department is not currently administering any grant schemes that are open for organisations and other groups to apply for.

Future general grant schemes can be found at Find a Grant.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
Friday 16th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June to Question 187674 on Personal Independence Payment: Appeals, what steps his Department is taking with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to reduce the number and proportion of Personal Independence Payment claims going to appeal.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The department is committed to making the right decision as early as possible in the claims process.

To support this, we have made improvements to decision-making at both the first decision, and the Mandatory Reconsideration stage, giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact claimants if they think additional evidence may support the claim.

We are continuing to learn from decisions overturned at appeal. For example, we gather insight from Presenting Officers who regularly provide feedback from hearings they attend, with a view to learning from overturned decisions.


Written Question
Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what internal processes Government legislation goes through to ensure compliance with the United Nations Convention on Persons with Disabilities.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Although the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is not incorporated into domestic law, the Equality Act 2010 provides, in domestic legislation, protections for people in Great Britain against discrimination, harassment, or victimisation, because of any of the nine protected characteristics set out in the Act – which include disability.

The Equality Act 2010 also includes the Public Sector Equality Duty, to promote equality of opportunity for all. Public sector bodies bound by the duty must consider the impact of their key decisions on, among others, disabled people. Equivalent provisions for Northern Ireland are set out in a range of devolved legislation.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the length of time it takes for a Personal Independence Payment appeal to reach tribunal stage.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Appeals against a DWP benefit decision are lodged with, and administered by, His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

We know that waiting for an appeal to be heard can be a stressful experience. That is why the DWP and HMCTS are working together, both to reduce the volume of cases going to appeal, and to reduce the length of time it takes for appeals to be heard.

The DWP is working with HMCTS to develop a new digital system, with a view to enabling quicker processing of appeals and a better service for all parties to the proceedings. Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance claimants can now submit their appeal online.


Written Question
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

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 UK's compliance with the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

This Government is committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which we ratified in 2009, and the progressive realisation of rights for disabled people that it sets out.

Our latest response to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was submitted in 2022, and published on GOV.UK with accessible formats in December 2022. This report and previous ones can be found here: (Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-peoples-rights-uk-2022-follow-up-report-to-uncrpd-2016-inquiry(opens in a new tab)).


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
Friday 9th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

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 implications for his policies of the level of rejection at Mandatory Consideration stage of Personal Independence Payment appeals.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The department is committed to making the right decision as early as possible in the claims process.

Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) is a valuable process that supports the resolution of disputes as early as possible, so that claimants do not need to appeal, reducing unnecessary demand on HMCTS. At the MR stage, a different Decision Maker will look at the decision, taking into account the existing evidence, together with any new evidence provided by the claimant. Decisions will be changed at the MR stage where the evidence supports this.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids
Wednesday 7th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 30 May 2023 to Question 186109 on Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using fidget toys as an aid to support each of the Personal Independence Payment Daily Living Activities.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Aids and appliances are devices which improve, provide, or replace, the claimant’s impaired physical or mental function. For the purpose of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment, aids and appliances may be everyday objects, but whether they are considered as aids in any particular case depends on how the claimant uses the object compared to how (if at all) it might typically be used by someone with no relevant impairment. It is therefore not possible to compile a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for PIP claimants.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids
Wednesday 7th June 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2023 to Question 186109 on Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of compiling a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for claimants of the Personal Independence Payment.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Aids and appliances are devices which improve, provide, or replace, the claimant’s impaired physical or mental function. For the purpose of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment, aids and appliances may be everyday objects, but whether they are considered as aids in any particular case depends on how the claimant uses the object compared to how (if at all) it might typically be used by someone with no relevant impairment. It is therefore not possible to compile a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for PIP claimants.


Written Question
Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids
Tuesday 30th May 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 184992 on Personal Independence Payment: Dentures, whether his Department has a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for claimants of the Personal Independence Payment.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The DWP does not hold a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for claimants of the Personal Independence Payment. Aids and appliances are devices which improve, provide, or replace, the claimant’s impaired physical or mental function. For the purpose of the PIP assessment, aids and appliances may be everyday objects, but whether they are considered as aids in any particular case, depends on how the claimant uses the object compared to how (if at all) it might typically be used by someone with no relevant impairment. Where the object would usually or normally be used in the same way by someone without any limitation in carrying out the relevant activity, it is unlikely to be considered an aid or appliance.