Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the application process for personal independent payments for applicants that are homeless and do not have access to (a) a telephone and (b) IT facilities .

A claim to PIP can be made via a freephone telephone number by a 3^rd party on behalf of the customer as long as they are present at the time of the call. This can be done through a number of support organisations or agencies, that are free to use, such as Citizens Advice.

It is likely that the individual would already be working with or have been signposted to the Local Jobcentre Plus network and there is provision within JCP to support and access telephony within the JCP to make a claim to PIP.

If the claimant is without a correspondence address or a fixed abode, the telephony agent will advise the claimant that letters can be sent to a local Jobcentre. The telephony agent will then assist the claimant to identify the address of a local Jobcentre.