Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March to Question 163821 on Social Security Benefits: Applications, how were participants in the (a) digital Personal Independence Payment and (b) Attendance Allowance service trials selected.

Personal Independence Payment

We are currently operating a small-scale test of the new online apply service for PIP as a limited service, initially offering it to a small number of claimants who call the phone line to begin their claim for PIP.

Currently, we are offering the service to 60 claimants a day. Call agents offer the voluntary option to claim online to claimants within scope of the current service until the daily limit is met.

The following groups will be incrementally included as we grow the scope of the service:

• anyone applying in an official capacity (e.g. appointees);
• anyone with a Welsh or Northern Ireland postcode;
• anyone applying for special rules;
• anyone with a previous or existing PIP or DLA claim; and
• those without a NINO or with a GY or JY postcode.

This approach allows us to build, develop and design the service, exploring and making improvements as we gradually increase its availability.

Attendance Allowance   

We are currently inviting up to 60 claimants per week into the private beta trial from a variety of sources. The current split is 25 claimants via Age UK, 25 claimants who have called the helpline in Great Britain and 10 claimants who have called the helpline in Northern Ireland.

Invites are being offered to anyone who meets the current scope of the private beta, until a daily limit is reached. The daily limits are 5 per day at Age UK, 5 per day for the Great Britain helpline and 2 per day for the Northern Ireland helpline.

Those not being included currently in the private beta are:

• anyone applying for special rules;
• anyone applying in an official capacity (power of attorney, corporate acting body, appointees);
• anyone needing the form in Welsh language; and
• anyone needing to report a change of circumstances.

We plan to scale the number of self-serving claimants through telephony in the future and also extend the sources we recruit from. This includes visiting officers and other third-party organisations.