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 many people were awaiting a decision on their Personal Independence Payment application on the first day of each month in 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below gives the number of outstanding PIP cases on the first of each month from 2021 to 2023. Claims are considered outstanding when the claim has been registered but a decision has not yet been made by a Case Manager on whether to award PIP.
Month | Outstanding cases |
Jan-21 | 220,000 |
Feb-21 | 233,000 |
Mar-21 | 237,000 |
Apr-21 | 252,000 |
May-21 | 265,000 |
Jun-21 | 281,000 |
Jul-21 | 296,000 |
Aug-21 | 297,000 |
Sep-21 | 302,000 |
Oct-21 | 308,000 |
Nov-21 | 316,000 |
Dec-21 | 312,000 |
Jan-22 | 301,000 |
Feb-22 | 308,000 |
Mar-22 | 307,000 |
Apr-22 | 303,000 |
May-22 | 295,000 |
Jun-22 | 300,000 |
Jul-22 | 299,000 |
Aug-22 | 284,000 |
Sep-22 | 282,000 |
Oct-22 | 284,000 |
Nov-22 | 275,000 |
Dec-22 | 259,000 |
Jan-23 | 237,000 |
Feb-23 | 232,000 |
Mar-23 | 245,000 |
Apr-23 | 273,000 |
May-23 | 286,000 |
Jun-23 | 301,000 |
Jul-23 | 298,000 |
Aug-23 | 286,000 |
Sep-23 | 281,000 |
Oct-23 | 291,000 |
Nov-23 | 287,000 |
Dec-23 | 276,000 |
Notes:
- Source: PIP Atomic Data Store;
- Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000;
- Figures are for England and Wales only;
- These figures include claims made under normal rules and special rules for terminal illness and include both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.
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 many applicants for Personal Independence Payment had not received a decision on the first day of each month in 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below gives the number of outstanding PIP cases on the first of each month from 2021 to 2023. Claims are considered outstanding when the claim has been registered but a decision has not yet been made by a Case Manager on whether to award PIP.
Month | Outstanding cases |
Jan-21 | 220,000 |
Feb-21 | 233,000 |
Mar-21 | 237,000 |
Apr-21 | 252,000 |
May-21 | 265,000 |
Jun-21 | 281,000 |
Jul-21 | 296,000 |
Aug-21 | 297,000 |
Sep-21 | 302,000 |
Oct-21 | 308,000 |
Nov-21 | 316,000 |
Dec-21 | 312,000 |
Jan-22 | 301,000 |
Feb-22 | 308,000 |
Mar-22 | 307,000 |
Apr-22 | 303,000 |
May-22 | 295,000 |
Jun-22 | 300,000 |
Jul-22 | 299,000 |
Aug-22 | 284,000 |
Sep-22 | 282,000 |
Oct-22 | 284,000 |
Nov-22 | 275,000 |
Dec-22 | 259,000 |
Jan-23 | 237,000 |
Feb-23 | 232,000 |
Mar-23 | 245,000 |
Apr-23 | 273,000 |
May-23 | 286,000 |
Jun-23 | 301,000 |
Jul-23 | 298,000 |
Aug-23 | 286,000 |
Sep-23 | 281,000 |
Oct-23 | 291,000 |
Nov-23 | 287,000 |
Dec-23 | 276,000 |
Notes:
- Source: PIP Atomic Data Store;
- Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000;
- Figures are for England and Wales only;
- These figures include claims made under normal rules and special rules for terminal illness and include both new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.
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 many applicants for Access to Work support had not received a decision on (a) 1 January, (b) 1 February and (c) 1 March 2024.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of applications awaiting a decision for Access to Work on the requested dates were as follows. Figures have been steadily increasing due to the rise in the volume of application received.
As of 1st January 2024 – 24,874
As of 1st February 2024 – 26,812
As of 1st March 2024 – 29,864
There were 25,292 Access to Work applications awaiting a decision as of 1st December 2022.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
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 many applicants for Access to Work support had not received an assessment on 1 December 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The number of applications awaiting a decision for Access to Work on the requested dates were as follows. Figures have been steadily increasing due to the rise in the volume of application received.
As of 1st January 2024 – 24,874
As of 1st February 2024 – 26,812
As of 1st March 2024 – 29,864
There were 25,292 Access to Work applications awaiting a decision as of 1st December 2022.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
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, with reference to his Departments consultation outcome entitled Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors, published 5 September 2023, what the (a) grade and (b) job titles were of the staff who undertook the research exercise.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2023, we announced changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria. The full response to the public consultation on these changes can be found here.
We do not know what “research exercise” the questions are referring to but have interpreted these questions to be about internal policy development undertaken before and during the consultation exercise on changes to the WCA. This work was undertaken by a variety of staff from a mix of grades and job titles, including Senior Civil Servants. We will publish an Impact Assessment in due course.
We undertook considerable engagement during the consultation period and received over 1300 written responses. We listened carefully to what people told us and took their views into account when deciding which changes to take forward. We took care to ensure the views of disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as the views of the charities, groups and organisations representing and supporting them, were considered. We also engaged directly with external clinical experts and employers.
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, with reference to his Departments consultation outcome entitled Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors, published 5 September 2023, how many cases were reviewed as part of the research.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2023, we announced changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria. The full response to the public consultation on these changes can be found here.
We do not know what “research exercise” the questions are referring to but have interpreted these questions to be about internal policy development undertaken before and during the consultation exercise on changes to the WCA. This work was undertaken by a variety of staff from a mix of grades and job titles, including Senior Civil Servants. We will publish an Impact Assessment in due course.
We undertook considerable engagement during the consultation period and received over 1300 written responses. We listened carefully to what people told us and took their views into account when deciding which changes to take forward. We took care to ensure the views of disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as the views of the charities, groups and organisations representing and supporting them, were considered. We also engaged directly with external clinical experts and employers.
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, with reference to his Departments consultation outcome entitled Work Capability Assessment: activities and descriptors, published 5 September 2023, how his Department selected the cases to be reviewed.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In November 2023, we announced changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria. The full response to the public consultation on these changes can be found here.
We do not know what “research exercise” the questions are referring to but have interpreted these questions to be about internal policy development undertaken before and during the consultation exercise on changes to the WCA. This work was undertaken by a variety of staff from a mix of grades and job titles, including Senior Civil Servants. We will publish an Impact Assessment in due course.
We undertook considerable engagement during the consultation period and received over 1300 written responses. We listened carefully to what people told us and took their views into account when deciding which changes to take forward. We took care to ensure the views of disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as the views of the charities, groups and organisations representing and supporting them, were considered. We also engaged directly with external clinical experts and employers.
Asked by: Pat McFadden (Labour - Wolverhampton South East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 February 2024, what steps his Department has taken to mitigate the risks of red-rated legacy IT systems.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP has funded and resourced a dedicated Legacy Technical Debt Working Group within DWP. This group managed the population and ongoing accuracy of Legacy IT System Risk Score Cards. The information recorded includes plans for mitigating key risks which are assessed ahead of each fiscal planning round to bid for funds to implement mitigating measures.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what evidential basis he stated to The Telegraph on 20 March 2024 that GPs were signing people off work for feeling down and bluesy.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
In his interview with The Telegraph on 20 March 2024, the Secretary of State set out the challenges we are facing with tackling long-term sickness related economic inactivity, particularly due to mental health.
The Secretary of State gave an example of why someone might go to their GP for a fit note, for a mental health condition. The figure that 94% of fit notes issued were ‘Not fit for work’ refers to all fit notes issued by GP practices in England between October 2022 - September 2023.
Of the fit notes issued by GP practices in England between October 2022 – September 2023 with a known diagnosis, 37% are for mental and behavioural disorders.
This Government is committed to reforming the fit note to ensure that people get timely access to work and health support, in turn reducing sickness absence and improving health outcomes.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to allow access to the Motability Scheme for (a) claimants of (i) Personal Independence Payment with standard rate mobility and (ii) Disability Living Allowance with low rate mobility, (b) claimants in the process of applying for Personal Independence Payment for up to 18 months to provide time for any appeals and (c) Blue Badge holders.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
To be eligible to join the Motability Scheme claimants must be in receipt of the higher-rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, the enhanced-rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment or War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement. Customers in receipt of one of these benefits, may then choose to join the Motability scheme. If the person is not receiving one of the above benefits, they will not qualify for the Motability scheme. In line with legislative requirements the gateway for the transfer of benefits is dependent upon entitlement to specific mobility components and targets support to those with the most severe mobility needs.
There are currently no plans to look at expanding the eligibility criteria for the Motability Scheme.