Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, what steps they will take to upscale resources to accommodate the proposed increase in face-to-face Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Green Paper sets out measures to make improvements to the PIP assessment, including looking again at our safeguarding processes, moving back to having more face-to-face assessments while continuing to meet the needs of people who may require different assessment methods, recording more assessments to increase trust in the process, and exploring ways to use evidence from eligibility for other services to reduce the need for some people with very severe health conditions to undergo a full PIP functional assessment. The Department will consider its commitment to ensure resources are in place to carry out more face to face PIP assessments alongside other plans for reform laid out within Pathways to Work.
We also plan to review the PIP benefit assessment, working closely with stakeholders and those with lived experience, with an ambition of shaping a system of active support that helps people manage and adapt to their condition in ways that expand their functioning and improve their independence.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of current Personal Independence Payments recipients do not meet four points on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Reform UK - East Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025, whether her Department plans to provide additional training to assessors carrying out PIP assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All health professionals who carry out PIP assessments receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes evaluation as to how medical conditions affect claimants in their day-to-day activities, as well as awareness training in specific conditions. The department works extensively with assessment providers to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures to ensure a quality service. All core training and guidance material for health professionals undergoes both clinical and policy quality assurance.
On 18 March we announced our plans to introduce a new eligibility requirement in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) so that people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity in PIP to be eligible for the daily living component. All health professionals and DWP case managers will receive training and guidance on these changes to eligibility criteria before they are implemented.
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Reform UK - East Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, published on 18 March 2025, what proportion of PIP assessments she expects to be face-to-face.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to assessing people for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as quickly as possible to ensure they receive the support they are entitled to in a timely manner. PIP assessments are currently carried out via a range of channels. As set out in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we are committed to doing more face-to-face assessments, while preserving alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment.
Further details on this commitment, along with other measures designed to improve the PIP assessment are set out in the Green Paper. We will set out further detail of the proposals for reform of the health and disability system following a full 12-week consultation period where responses are fully considered.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) successful claim rate and (b) average number of points scored for PIP Assessments were for assessments undertaken (i) in-person, (ii) not in-person and (iii) across all modes in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The successful claim rate following assessments undertaken (i) in-person, (ii) not in-person and (iii) across all modes is shown below for each of the last ten years.
Calendar Year | Successful claim rate (%) | ||
Assessment in-person (i) | Assessment not in-person (ii) | All modes of assessment (iii) | |
2015 | - | - | 64% |
2016 | - | - | 69% |
2017 | - | - | 68% |
2018 | - | - | 65% |
2019 | - | - | 62% |
2020 | - | - | 56% |
2021 | - | - | 51% |
2022 | 42% | 53% | 51% |
2023 | 44% | 56% | 53% |
2024 (up to October) | 44% | 57% | 55% |
Source: PIP Administrative Data.
Notes:
The mean number of points scored for the Daily Living and Mobility components following a PIP assessment undertaken (i) in-person, (ii) not in-person and (iii) across all modes is shown below for each of the last ten years.
Calendar Year | Mean number of points scored at PIP assessment | Proportion of claims missing scores | |||||
In-person | Not in-person | All modes of | |||||
Daily | Mobility | Daily | Mobility | Daily | Mobility | ||
2015 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 6 | 0% |
2016 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 7 | 0% |
2017 | - | - | - | - | 13 | 7 | 3% |
2018 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 7 | 5% |
2019 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 6 | 6% |
2020 | - | - | - | - | 11 | 5 | 4% |
2021 | - | - | - | - | 8 | 4 | 7% |
2022 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8% |
2023 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 9% |
2024 (up to October) | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8% |
Source: PIP Administrative Data.
Notes:
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment assessments were carried out (1) face-to-face, (2) remotely and (3) on paper in each month since March 2020.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number and proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments carried out (a) face-to-face (b) remotely (this includes telephone and video) and (c) paper-based can be found in the tables below.
March 2020 to December 2020
Month | Face-to-Face | Remote | Paper-Based | Unspecified | ||||
| Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion |
Mar-20 | 0 | 0% | 13,610 | 46% | 15,980 | 54% | 0 | 0% |
Apr-20 | 0 | 0% | 38,090 | 73% | 13,970 | 27% | 0 | 0% |
May-20 | 0 | 0% | 42,830 | 82% | 9,460 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Jun-20 | 0 | 0% | 47,000 | 86% | 7,760 | 14% | 0 | 0% |
Jul-20 | 0 | 0% | 52,440 | 87% | 7,950 | 13% | 0 | 0% |
Aug-20 | 0 | 0% | 48,370 | 87% | 7,500 | 13% | 0 | 0% |
Sep-20 | 0 | 0% | 53,690 | 83% | 11,120 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Oct-20 | 0 | 0% | 59,110 | 81% | 14,000 | 19% | 0 | 0% |
Nov-20 | 0 | 0% | 53,740 | 82% | 11,860 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Dec-20 | 0 | 0% | 46,120 | 82% | 10,010 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
2021
Month | Face-to-Face | Remote | Paper-Based | Unspecified | ||||
| Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion |
Jan-21 | 0 | 0% | 53,730 | 83% | 10,970 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Feb-21 | 0 | 0% | 52,860 | 83% | 10,480 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Mar-21 | 0 | 0% | 60,160 | 85% | 10,800 | 15% | 0 | 0% |
Apr-21 | 0 | 0% | 48,670 | 83% | 9,760 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
May-21 | 0 | 0% | 46,280 | 82% | 9,840 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Jun-21 | 10 | 0% | 51,140 | 83% | 10,490 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Jul-21 | 50 | 0% | 52,000 | 83% | 10,810 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Aug-21 | 2,430 | 4% | 46,240 | 79% | 9,930 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Sep-21 | 5,340 | 8% | 50,290 | 76% | 10,590 | 16% | 0 | 0% |
Oct-21 | 5,190 | 8% | 50,510 | 76% | 10,520 | 16% | 0 | 0% |
Nov-21 | 5,640 | 8% | 55,470 | 76% | 11,500 | 16% | 0 | 0% |
Dec-21 | 3,730 | 6% | 44,180 | 77% | 9,440 | 16% | 0 | 0% |
2022
Month | Face-to-Face | Remote | Paper-Based | Unspecified | ||||
| Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion |
Jan-22 | 90 | 0% | 61,300 | 83% | 12,170 | 17% | 0 | 0% |
Feb-22 | 3,150 | 4% | 58,070 | 78% | 13,170 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Mar-22 | 6,390 | 8% | 63,230 | 75% | 15,050 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Apr-22 | 5,100 | 7% | 53,580 | 75% | 12,950 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
May-22 | 5,690 | 7% | 63,750 | 77% | 13,710 | 16% | 0 | 0% |
Jun-22 | 5,480 | 7% | 58,730 | 75% | 13,790 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Jul-22 | 5,350 | 7% | 59,420 | 75% | 14,380 | 18% | 0 | 0% |
Aug-22 | 5,950 | 7% | 60,870 | 73% | 14,910 | 18% | 1,990 | 2% |
Sep-22 | 6,450 | 8% | 60,050 | 71% | 15,540 | 18% | 2,480 | 3% |
Oct-22 | 7,080 | 8% | 63,190 | 71% | 15,990 | 18% | 2,190 | 2% |
Nov-22 | 7,540 | 8% | 68,890 | 71% | 18,340 | 19% | 2,260 | 2% |
Dec-22 | 5,260 | 7% | 50,500 | 71% | 13,810 | 19% | 2,030 | 3% |
2023
Month | Face-to-Face | Remote | Paper-Based | Unspecified | ||||
| Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion |
Jan-23 | 6,150 | 6% | 70,490 | 73% | 17,750 | 18% | 2,310 | 2% |
Feb-23 | 6,880 | 8% | 63,600 | 71% | 17,420 | 19% | 2,210 | 2% |
Mar-23 | 7,210 | 7% | 75,650 | 72% | 20,200 | 19% | 2,480 | 2% |
Apr-23 | 6,610 | 8% | 57,590 | 70% | 16,260 | 20% | 2,080 | 3% |
May-23 | 7,290 | 8% | 66,110 | 70% | 18,600 | 20% | 2,340 | 2% |
Jun-23 | 7,400 | 7% | 71,570 | 71% | 19,800 | 20% | 2,450 | 2% |
Jul-23 | 7,480 | 8% | 68,910 | 71% | 18,270 | 19% | 2,530 | 3% |
Aug-23 | 7,950 | 8% | 68,420 | 69% | 20,440 | 21% | 2,420 | 2% |
Sep-23 | 7,440 | 8% | 68,990 | 70% | 19,690 | 20% | 2,540 | 3% |
Oct-23 | 7,700 | 7% | 73,240 | 70% | 21,110 | 20% | 2,790 | 3% |
Nov-23 | 7,400 | 7% | 76,030 | 70% | 22,250 | 20% | 2,850 | 3% |
Dec-23 | 5,430 | 7% | 52,740 | 70% | 14,810 | 20% | 2,420 | 3% |
January 2024 to November 2024
Month | Face-to-Face | Remote | Paper-Based | Unspecified | ||||
| Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion | Number | Proportion |
Jan-24 | 6,650 | 6% | 74,750 | 72% | 20,030 | 19% | 2,680 | 3% |
Feb-24 | 7,260 | 7% | 75,730 | 73% | 17,750 | 17% | 3,110 | 3% |
Mar-24 | 6,460 | 7% | 69,570 | 73% | 17,010 | 18% | 2,370 | 2% |
Apr-24 | 5,910 | 6% | 73,580 | 74% | 17,210 | 17% | 2,210 | 2% |
May-24 | 5,630 | 6% | 74,400 | 74% | 18,210 | 18% | 2,010 | 2% |
Jun-24 | 5,330 | 6% | 71,410 | 74% | 17,450 | 18% | 1,940 | 2% |
Jul-24 | 5,650 | 5% | 78,000 | 74% | 19,260 | 18% | 2,150 | 2% |
Aug-24 | 3,430 | 4% | 72,040 | 77% | 16,980 | 18% | 1,180 | 1% |
Sep-24 | 1,270 | 2% | 59,780 | 81% | 12,660 | 17% | 180 | 0% |
Oct-24 | 2,580 | 2% | 82,890 | 79% | 18,430 | 18% | 400 | 0% |
Nov-24 | 3,620 | 4% | 70,810 | 77% | 16,410 | 18% | 1,350 | 1% |
Please Note
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a PIP assessment to be completed; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these waiting times on applications for the carers allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The median clearance time from a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registration to a DWP decision is 15 weeks for both new claims under normal rules and reassessments from Disability Living Allowance, as of July 2024. For new claims with Special Rules, there is a median time of 3 working days from registration to clearance.
Delays in assessing PIP claims should not affect the amount of Carer’s Allowance paid to the carer as the Carer’s Allowance claim can be backdated to the date PIP is awarded from.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for Personal Independence Payment assessments.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
These figures can be found at part 6 of the Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2024 and are published quarterly as part of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) statistics on GOV.UK.
As of July 2024, clearance times for normal rules new claims are 15 weeks “end to end” (from registration to a decision being made) and 10 weeks from the assessment provider (AP) referral to the DWP decision on entitlement.
The clearance times in July 2023 were 15 weeks and 10 weeks respectively. The clearance times peaked in August 2021 at 26 weeks “end to end” (from registration to a decision being made) and 21 weeks from the AP referral to the decision.
This was partly because claims that had been allowed a longer deadline for return of the PIP 2 form during the period late February to late May 2021 were reaching clearance, and partly because priority in some areas was given to claims that had been waiting longer for processing due to the COVID-19 disruption.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the way Personal Independence Payments are accessed by people with fluctuating conditions.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment is designed to take into account the impact of variations in an individual's level of functional impairment. The criteria consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account.
Health professionals carrying out PIP assessments are required to assess individuals in line with the statutory criteria, including whether an individual can complete each of the PIP activities, the manner in which they do it, and whether they can complete each activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.
The PIP assessment criteria were developed in collaboration with independent specialists in health, social care & disability, including disabled people. The Department aims to continually improve the assessment process through customer insight, stakeholder engagement and qualitative research. We are exploring the option of a Health Impact Record that claimants could use on a voluntary basis, in addition to other evidence, to capture the changing effect of their condition on day-to-day functionality. This could help claimants present evidence in a structured way at or preceding an assessment.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to change the personal independence payment assessment.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)