Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants of personal independence payments waited more than 16 weeks for a face-to-face assessment by each provider since the introduction of that payment.
Answered by Mark Harper
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 12 January 2015 to Question UIN 220004.
Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether disability employment advisers will remain part of the support offered to claimants under universal credit.
Answered by Esther McVey
The Disability and Health Employment Strategy published in December 2013 sets out our expectation that the work carried out by DEAs in Jobcentres will continue.
Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on retaining disability employment advisors as part of the support offered to clients by jobcentre plus.
Answered by Esther McVey
The Disability and Health Employment Strategy published in December 2013 sets out our expectation that the work carried out by DEAs in Jobcentres will continue.
Asked by: Tom Clarke (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will create an independent panel to review and assess the effectiveness of the employment and support allowance and work capability assessment tests.
Answered by Mike Penning
The department has already conducted four independent reviews of the WCA, the most recent of which was completed on 12 December 2013 and is published online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-4
A fifth and final independent review is currently underway and is due to be completed by the end of the year.
In addition to these independent reviews the Department has conducted an Evidence Based Review of the WCA in which the descriptors for mental health and fluctuating conditions were examined by an independent panel against an alternative assessment designed in conjunction with representative groups and charities. On 12 December 2013 the Department published the results of this online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-evidence-based-review