Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a PIP assessment to be completed; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these waiting times on applications for the carers allowance.

The median clearance time from a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registration to a DWP decision is 15 weeks for both new claims under normal rules and reassessments from Disability Living Allowance, as of July 2024. For new claims with Special Rules, there is a median time of 3 working days from registration to clearance.

Delays in assessing PIP claims should not affect the amount of Carer’s Allowance paid to the carer as the Carer’s Allowance claim can be backdated to the date PIP is awarded from.