Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the benefits of the outsourcing of health assessments to (a) Centre for Health and Disability Assessments and (b) Independent Assessment Services; and if she will make statement.
The Department considers all options, including outsourcing, when its contracts either come to contractual options to extend or expiry and this applies to contracts with both CHDA and Independent Assessment Services. An appraisal was conducted as part of recent contract extension considerations in relation to our contract with CHDA.