Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what disability-specific training personal independence payment assessors receive to enable them to adapt their communication and assessment methods so that claimants can better understand and take part in their assessment.

The Department has set clear requirements on the professions, skills, experience and training of the Healthcare Professionals that the providers should use to carry out assessments. Healthcare Professionals are medically qualified professionals who have previous clinical experience of communicating with individuals who have varied conditions.

All Healthcare Professionals receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes communication skills and understanding the communication needs of those with specific disabilities. This training builds on prior clinical knowledge to develop an understanding as to how conditions affect claimants in their day-to-day activities.