Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to review the grounds on which face-to-face interviews are required for a personal independence payment assessment.

Key to ensuring that decisions for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are correct is getting the best evidence from a variety of sources. As part of that evidence gathering process most people will be asked to attend a face-to-face consultation with a trained, independent assessor. Such a consultation gives individuals the opportunity to put across their own views of the impact of their health condition or impairment on their everyday lives. However, we accept that face-to-face consultations may not be appropriate in every case and if there is enough evidence then the claimant will not be asked to attend a consultation. Guidance on the circumstances when a paper-based assessment may be appropriate is contained in the PIP Assessment Guide which is regularly reviewed.