Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of PIP assessments on the mental health of claimants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment identifies the needs arising from physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive issues, or any combination of these. The assessment criteria were developed over a decade ago in conjunction with independent health, social care, and disability experts.
All health professionals performing PIP assessments receive comprehensive training in disability analysis including specific training on mental health conditions and how to identify their impact on claimants’ ability to carry out the activities in the assessment. Our assessment providers have Mental Health Function Champions (MHFC) to support assessors when reviewing evidence and provide advice to DWP Case Managers. MHFCs are specialist practitioners who have at least 2 years of post-registration clinical experience in a mental health or learning disability role.
No assessment has been made of the potential mental health impact of PIP assessments, although customer experience is something that is continually monitored. It would be extremely difficult to objectively separate the specific impact of assessments on mental health from other contributory factors.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the operation of the rule of law in Rwanda.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell
Conclusions from FCDO experts fed into the Home Office's policy statement on evidence of the safety of the Republic of Rwanda, published on 11 January 2024, which assessed the Rwanda's legal framework. The World Justice Project's Rule of Law index ranks Rwanda top in sub-Saharan Africa and amongst low-income countries for order and security. The UK encourages Rwanda to uphold and champion Commonwealth values of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights.