Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking through the benefits system to support vulnerable claimants with cancer during the covid-19 outbreak.

• The Department is committed to ensuring people affected by cancer are supported in a sensitive, fair and appropriate way.

• In Employment and Support Allowance a light touch evidence gathering process exists, to help determine eligibility. Claimants should not delay making a claim because of difficulties in providing supporting medical information. We will continue to process claims and work with customers to gather the best supporting evidence available.

• We’ve suspended award reviews and DLA to PIP reassessment activity and extended existing awards to ensure they don’t go out of payment. We have also suspended all routine award reviews and re-assessments of disability additions in Universal Credit.

• Supporting people who are terminally ill remains an absolute priority for the Department and we will continue to fast track terminally ill claimants to higher rates of award.