Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the merits in terms of (a) value for money and (b) reducing errors of separating the production of health reports from decision making.

In law, deciding entitlement to certain benefits, such as Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment, requires that there is an assessment of the claimant.

The vast majority of assessments are carried out by an independent healthcare professional and a report is passed to DWP. A DWP decision maker then makes the decision on the claimant’s entitlement to benefit, using the report and any other relevant evidence.

The respective roles of the healthcare professional and the decision maker are distinct, and clearly defined in law. As there are no plans to change the law, the Department has not considered an alternative approach.