Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on the health of people with post-traumatic stress disorder of annual assessments for personal independence payments.

No such assessment has been made. Reviews of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are a key part of the benefit and ensure that not only do awards remain correct where needs may change but that we also maintain contact with the claimant, both features missing from its predecessor Disability Living Allowance. The length of an award is based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award with a light touch review at the ten year point.

PIP recognises that for the most severely disabled claimants, the award review process could seem unnecessarily intrusive. Existing PIP claimants with the most severe, lifetime disabilities, whose functional ability has remained the same, are more likely to have their evidence reviewed by a DWP Decision-Maker and will not need to have another face-to-face assessment with a healthcare professional.

We will continue to closely monitor developments across the health and disability landscape and engage with stakeholders to improve the service we provide. We are committed to ensuring that the PIP review process works effectively across the spectrum of disabilities and health conditions, including post traumatic stress disorder, other mental health conditions, cognitive impairments and physical disabilities.