Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to develop (a) paper and (b) telephone versions of work capability assessments; and if she will make a statement.
Paper based reviews have always been a feature of Work Capability Assessments. Wherever possible, if there is sufficient evidence available, our Assessment Provider will make a recommendation based on a paper-based review. If this is not possible, our provider will currently look to offer a telephone assessment, where appropriate.
We remain fully committed to making continuous improvements to the support we provide to people with health conditions and disabilities, and are evaluating the changes temporarily introduced to inform the approach taken to conducting assessments in the future.