Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2018 to Question 169417 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, for what reason she has not met with representatives of the WASPI campaign to discuss the time taken for complaints raised by women affected by measures taken to equalise the state pension age to be dealt with by her Department.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Independent Case Examiner is independent, and disusses complaints. The ICE is appointed under contract to adjudicate on escalated complaints about the DWP, and its contracted service providers, in cases where the complainant has exhausted the relevant internal complaints process and remains dissatisfied. If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of an Independent Case Examiner investigation (or the service provided by the Independent Case Examiner) they can ask their Member of Parliament to escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
The Independent Case Examiner aims to complete any investigation within 20 weeks of starting work on a case. The Independent Case Examiner reports related to legislative changes to State Pension age for women that have been concluded to date have been completed within an average of 9.75 weeks. To date, the Independent Case Examiner had not upheld any case specific complaints that the DWP failed to provide adequate and timely information relating to the increase in State Pension age. All final Independent Case Examiner reports explain how the complainant can escalate their complaint to the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s Office. The Parliamentary Health and Service Ombudsman make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by UK Government Departments. This was set up in 1967.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses for appealing decisions by the first-tier tribunal to award personal independence payments.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Department will only seek to refer decisions of the First-tier Tribunal to the Upper Tribunal, in Personal Independence Payment cases as well as those of other benefits, where we contend that the First-tier Tribunal has made an error in law. Each case is considered on its merits.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for a hearing by the Upper Tribunal of an appeal by her Department against a decision by the First-tier Tribunal to allow an award of personal independence payment.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The information requested is not held by the Department.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial safeguards his Department have put in place to protect vulnerable claimants in the event that their claim is delayed as a result appeals by her Department on the First-tier decision to award personal Independence payments.
Answered by Sarah Newton
At any time whilst payment is suspended as a result of a challenge to the tribunal judgement by the Secretary of State, a claimant can request that it is lifted on hardship grounds. Each case is considered on its merits and challenge will only be brought if we believe that a tribunal’s decision is erroneous in law.