Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what qualifications are required of people who work as personal independence payment assessors.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his previous questions numbered 47755 and 47757 (PQs asked on Tuesday 11th October 2016).
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria determine whether personal independence payment assessors receive financial bonuses in addition to their salary.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department does not prescribe providers with criteria on how they should pay salary or bonuses to their staff. That is purely a commercial decision for the assessment provider.
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what qualifications and experience are expected of personal independence payment assessors who handle cases in which an individual suffers from a neurological condition for which symptoms may present sporadically; and what processes are in place for claimants who consider the result of an assessment an unfair representation of their condition.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
All Health Professionals (HPs) undertaking assessments on behalf of DWP must be registered practitioners who have also met requirements around training, experience and competence. Approval to work as an HP must be conferred by the DWP Chief Medical Adviser on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
For the delivery of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments, they must be an occupational therapist, level 1 nurse, physiotherapist, paramedic or doctor. They must also be fully registered and have at least two years’ post full-registration experience. In addition to their profession, the Department recognises the importance of ensuring that individuals also have sufficient experience, skills and training to carry out their duties and PIP providers are required to ensure that the HPs carrying out assessments have knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments.
This means that all HPs receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions affect an individual’s ability to perform day-to-day activities. Prior to carrying out an assessment the HP routinely refreshes their knowledge of any condition with which they are not fully familiar.
Claimants who consider the result of an assessment to be an inaccurate representation of their condition can ask for a “mandatory reconsideration”, in writing or by telephone, giving their reasons. They may include further information to support their case.
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what standard of medical expertise is expected of personal independence payment assessors; and what (a) experience and (b) training is required to understand the symptoms of medical conditions.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
All Health Professionals (HPs) undertaking assessments on behalf of DWP must be registered practitioners who have also met requirements around training, experience and competence. Approval to work as an HP must be conferred by the DWP Chief Medical Adviser on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
For the delivery of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments, they must be an occupational therapist, level 1 nurse, physiotherapist, paramedic or doctor. They must also be fully registered and have at least two years’ post full-registration experience. In addition to their profession, the Department recognises the importance of ensuring that individuals also have sufficient experience, skills and training to carry out their duties and PIP providers are required to ensure that the HPs carrying out assessments have knowledge of the clinical aspects and likely functional effects of a wide range of health conditions and impairments.
This means that all HPs receive comprehensive training in disability analysis which includes a functional evaluation as to how medical conditions and the long-term medical treatment of those conditions affect an individual’s ability to perform day-to-day activities. Prior to carrying out an assessment the HP routinely refreshes their knowledge of any condition with which they are not fully familiar.
Claimants who consider the result of an assessment to be an inaccurate representation of their condition can ask for a “mandatory reconsideration”, in writing or by telephone, giving their reasons. They may include further information to support their case.
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse is of the contracts with (a) Capita and (b) ATOS Healthcare for the assessment of personal independence payments.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The information may be found in Contract Finder via the following links:
Atos Healthcare for PIP assessments in Northern England and Scotland – Lot 1
http://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/695721/
Capita for Central England and Wales assessments – Lot 2
http://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/740844/
Atos Healthcare for PIP assessments in London, East of England and Southern England – Lot 3
http://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/695729/
Capita for Northern Ireland assessments – Lot 4
http://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/762330/
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are paid as personal independence payment assessors in Scotland.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
378 people were working as Personal Independence Payment Health Assessors in Scotland (6 October 2016).
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what statistics are held by the Government relating to incidences of unpaid trial shifts since May 2010 relating to (a) individuals not claiming benefits and (b) people under 25 years old.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what workplace protection is in place for young people under the age of 25 to protect them from exploitation by their employer.
Answered by Margot James
In 2015, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) launched new advice for employers to help ensure they are fully aware of their obligations in respect of young workers. There are key protections for young workers in the following areas:
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any companies that participate in his Department's work trial programme for claimants who are in receipt of jobseeker's allowance are known to use unpaid trial shifts as part of their general recruitment process.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department does not keep records of the general recruitment practices of companies that offer a Work Trial opportunity.
Asked by: Philip Boswell (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of employer's using unpaid trial shifts, particularly in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Department does not make any assessment of employers using unpaid trial shifts for any sectors including hospitality.