Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the (a) effectiveness of systems and (b) potential pressures on his Department's phonelines during summer 2023 of requirements to notify his Department of trips abroad by claimants of the Personal Independence Payment.

Claimants are expected to contact the DWP if their circumstances change, including notification of periods abroad. Periods abroad may affect a claimant’s entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), so we need to know the date a claimant is leaving the country, how long they are planning to be out of the country, which country they are going to, and the purpose of the visit.

We have record levels of demand for PIP, and in turn this has increased pressure on the PIP Helpline. To meet this additional demand, significant recruitment activity has been taking place which is having a positive impact on calls answered and wait times.