Mentions:
1: Robison, Shona (SNP - Dundee City East) Even then, only girls whose parent or guardian agreed to them going and who passed two medical examinations - Speech Link
2: None submitted to Redress Scotland is a fixed-rate application or an application for an individually assessed payment - Speech Link
3: Robison, Shona (SNP - Dundee City East) long-term care having been removed from parental responsibility.The point that I am making about the independence - Speech Link
4: Torrance, David (SNP - Kirkcaldy) for educational support staff from 27.5 to 35 hours; to allow educational support staff to work on personal - Speech Link
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of complaints received by (a) Capita and (b) other external assessors for Personal Independence Payment applications in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department manages the PIP contracts robustly and has a full set of service level agreements setting out our expectations for service delivery.
It is important for providers to have their own complaints process to deal with dissatisfaction about the service they provide. This process signposts complainants to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) if they are dissatisfied with the provider’s final response to their complaint.
The process is designed to ensure that those complaining about third party provision have access to the same complaint escalation route as those who complain about services provided by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This encourages providers to resolve complaints at the earliest opportunity. It also gives providers the right incentives to offer good customer service and to comply with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Principles of Good Complaint Handling.
In each of the last five calendar years (2019 to date), the total number of cases where Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment providers (APs), Capita and Independent Assessment Services (IAS), received a complaint, are shown in the table below.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 to date |
Capita | 2800 | 1390 | 1380 | 1380 | 1580 |
IAS | 6140 | 2800 | 2390 | 1760 | 1830 |
Please note:
- All volumes have been rounded to the nearest 10.
- All above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the APs.
- The above data is derived from unpublished management information, which is collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.
All APs strive to provide an excellent service to claimants and are held to account for their performance. To put the above figures into context, the total number of complaints shown as a percentage of all completed assessments for the same period, are as follows:
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 to date |
Capita | 1.24% | 0.74% | 0.76% | 0.56% | 0.57% |
IAS | 0.87% | 0.51% | 0.41% | 0.24% | 0.23% |
Please note:
The above percentages have been derived from the unrounded totals.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on the Health Transformation Programme.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department’s spend for delivering HTP as of the end of March 2023 is £168 million.
Mar. 01 2010
Source Page: Ministry of Defence statement of civilian personnel policy: Civilian detached duty expenses. 57 p.Found: Immunizations, Medical Care and Medical Arrangements 7.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to reduce waiting times for PIP assessments.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service.
We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant.
We have seen a decrease in PIP clearance times, with the latest statistics showing that the average end-to-end journey has reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 15 weeks at the end of July 2023. This is because we’re:
In addition, the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising health and disability benefit services to create a more efficient service, to reduce processing times and improving trust in our services and decisions. As part of this, from July 2023, a limited number of claimants have been able to begin their claim for PIP entirely online, which we aim to roll out across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that PIP assessors receive adequate training relating to (a) Parkinson’s disease, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) Crohn’s disease and (d) colitis.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Personal Independence Payment assessments are carried out by qualified health professionals (HPs), who receive comprehensive training in assessing functional capability relating to both physical and mental health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and Colitis.
HPs have access to a range of resources and experienced clinicians to support them in assessing individuals with specific conditions. Assessment providers engage with medical experts, charities, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen their training programmes.
This year’s Health & Disability White Paper committed to developing the skills of HPs. As a result, the department began a proof of concept to match an individual’s primary health condition to a HP who has professional experience in their condition. In addition to their professional experience, HPs will also take part in training to specialise in the functional impacts of specific health conditions.
Jan. 04 2024
Source Page: UK/Switzerland: Convention on Social Security Coordination [CS Switzerland No.4/2021]Found: ARTICLE 65 Medical examinations (1) Medical examinations provided for by the legislation of
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of initial PIP assessments.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Assessment quality is a priority for both the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) providers and the department. The department works extensively with providers to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures, to ensure a quality service. A high standard is maintained by having an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to providers.
DWP monitors providers against a range of measures and monthly performance meetings are in place to support delivery of the contracts and ensure that where action is required, it can be focused and targeted. Improvements in the PIP assessment process have been supported by two independent reviews and DWP has also taken on board recommendations from the Work and Pensions Committee.
In addition, the department’s Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services. It will create a more efficient service and a vastly improved claimant experience, reducing journey times and improving trust in our services and decisions. Furthermore, an ongoing programme of engagement and research has been established to ensure that the design and delivery of the HTP is rooted in evidence.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his Department's policy to conduct all Personal Independence Payment assessments in person.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are no plans to conduct all Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments in person. PIP assessments are undertaken by telephone, video and face to face, all following the same structure. Since telephone and video assessments were introduced, there has been no evidence to suggest these delivery channels are less effective than face to face.
Mar. 11 2024
Source Page: DfT: Independent Complaints Assessor report for 2022 to 2023Found: : Mr AB is in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and is entitled to a 50 per cent deduction