Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy that claimants applying for mandatory reconsideration after being refused employment and support allowance should routinely be informed of the opportunity to provide additional evidence in support of their claim.

It has always been our policy to encourage claimants during the mandatory reconsideration process to provide additional evidence that may affect their decision. When claimants request a mandatory reconsideration Departmental decision makers assist them in identifying evidence, and ask them to provide any additional information or evidence so that the right decision can be made as early in the process as possible.