Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to improve health and disability assessments.

The Government is committed to assessing people with health conditions and disabilities fairly and accurately, which is why we keep our processes under review. Over the course of seven Independent Reviews of our disability assessments, over 100 recommendations have been made, with the vast majority accepted. To this end, we have made significant improvements to both the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment since their introduction.

We are also expanding the range of assessment channels, including the introduction of telephone assessments in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and are currently evaluating the different channels to inform the future strategy.

In terms of future reform, the Health Transformation Programme will deliver a new integrated Health Assessment Service covering all health and disability benefits, providing a simpler, more efficient and joined-up experience for claimants.

We know there is more we can do to improve the current system. That is why the Department will be bringing forward a Green Paper in 2021 on how to improve our services for disabled people and people with health conditions. The Green Paper will explore assessment reform options and seek views on future changes.

The Green Paper will be strongly influenced by the views of disabled people and representatives from disability organisations, drawing on the significant engagement we have conducted, and plan to continue in the future.