Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many vaccine damage payments have been awarded in each year since 2003.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The number of Vaccine Damage Payments made each year since 2003:
2002/03 5
2003/04 5
2004/05 4
2005/06 5
2006/07 4
2007/08 2
2008/09 0
2009/10 3
2010/11 1
2011/12 0
2012/13 0
2013/14 0
2014/15 0
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what adjustments his Department has made to the number of people reassessed for personal independence payment to reflect the current backlog of claims.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Following our controlled approach, a further 29 postcode areas have gone live with reassessment. We are currently progressing detailed planning and assurance activity to identify postcode areas to be included in further phases of rollout.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have undergone a reassessment for personal independence payment before the end of their award period.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The official statistics published in December show that to the end of October 2014, 29,900 claimants have had a reassessment and received their Personal Independence Payment decision. DLA remains in payment while the claimant goes through the process to claim Personal Independence Payment. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost was of reassessing people with progressive conditions for (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment and support allowance in 2014.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
We do not hold this information. Assessment and reassessment for Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance is based on an individual’s circumstances and how their condition affects them, not the condition itself.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pertussis vaccine damage claims were made in each year since 2003; and how many were successful in each year.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Information regarding claims and awards in respect of each particular disease/vaccine is unavailable.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's guidance for Performance Measurement Review Officers on how to conduct a review.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Yes, the guidance will be placed in the Library.
Small sections of the document have been redacted to protect the health and safety of the Review Officer where they may possibly be at risk whilst undertaking their duties and to ensure the continued effectiveness of the review process.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what means and indicators his Department measures the success of performance measurement review officers.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The Department has a People Performance policy which is applicable to all its staff below the senior civil service level. This policy provides a framework for managing performance throughout the year, Performance Measurement review officers have key work objectives set in April at the start of the reporting year and they have, as a minimum, monthly performance discussions with their line manager. As part of managing performance a review officer will be accompanied by their line manager on a number of visits each year and in addition the line manager will telephone a number of claimants that have been visited to check the quality of that visit. At the end of the reporting year the Review Officer is given a final reporting rating.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what locations performance measurement review officers are being deployed.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
There are Performance Measurement Review Officers that are based in DWP offices across the whole of Great Britain. They undertake benefit reviews for claimants in all parts of Great Britain apart from the Scottish Islands.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is given to staff in his Department in order for them to qualify as performance measurement review officers.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Performance Measurement review officers receive training in Performance Measurement processes and appropriate training in the benefits measured (Housing Benefit; Employment and Support Allowance; Job Seekers Allowance; Pension Credit).
They also undertake learning on Responsible for Information Security, Handling Official Information, Remote Working Securely and Keeping Safe – Travelling and working off-site.
Asked by: Russell Brown (Labour - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish or place in the Library a breakdown of personal independence payment by claimants' main disabling condition in a similar format to the information previously provided on disability living allowance claimants.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Information on the number of claimants in receipt of personal independence payment, by a range of detailed breakdowns, has been published and can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm.
Breakdowns by main disabling condition are currently available against 21 high level descriptors. From 17 December more detailed breakdowns of main disabling condition, including multiple sclerosis, will be available.