Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) changing its guidance to allow electronic recordings of employment support allowance and personal independence payment assessments and (b) providing medical assessors with approved equipment to record those assessments; and if she will make a statement.

Employment and Support Allowance claimants are able to record their assessments provided they abide by reasonable conditions designed to protect the healthcare professional and the integrity of the process. They must provide a complete and accurate copy of the recording at the end of the consultation. In addition claimants can request in advance that their assessment is recorded and the assessment provider will provide the equipment.

Personal Independence Payment claimants who wish to record their assessments can do so within existing guidelines. We are currently exploring options around the provision of recording equipment for Assessment Providers.

The Department has set standards for the recordings to make sure that the system is fair and accurately reflects the assessment