Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the written evidence submitted by Maximus to the Work and Pensions Committee, PEA0532, if he will instruct the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments to record data on the number and constituency of customers who are accompanied to assessments.

It is the Centre for Health and Disability Assessment’s (CHDA) aim to provide all claimants with a good quality service. CHDA invite claimants to bring a companion to their assessment and will encourage the relative, carer or friend accompanying a claimant to be present during the assessment, if so desired by the claimant. The assessment and discussion will always be focused towards the claimant. There is no need to record this data as attendance of a companion is at the discretion of the claimant and is not a requirement of the assessment.