Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a personal independence payment assessment report includes observations of a claimant’s behaviour that is not included in the criteria for that assessment.

Guidance on how a Health Professional should conduct a face-to-face appointment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), including what to record in the assessment, is in Part 1, Chapter 6 of the PIP Assessment Guide (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-1-the-assessment-process) . As paragraph 1.6.31 makes clear, informal observations are an important part of the suite of evidence a Decision Maker will use to come to a decision.