Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to table 8D of the Personal Independence Payment: DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes, October 2017, what steps his Department is taking to address the disproportionate number of people with epilepsy who have seen their awards refused or reduced during the transition to personal independence payments; and if he will make a statement.

In line with our existing programme of continuous improvement we have recently made changes to the PIP Assessment Guide in relation to safety and supervision which may impact on those with conditions which affect consciousness such as epilepsy.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is more modern, dynamic and fair than its predecessor, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and focuses support on those experiencing the greatest barriers to living independently. As PIP is a different benefit to DLA with different assessment criteria, we would expect to see some variation between outcomes for different disabling conditions. Additionally, many DLA claimants have not undergone any kind of assessment of their needs for several years and their condition, treatment or therapy and needs arising from their condition may have changed substantially.