Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the level of knowledge of the impact of sight impairment among personal independence payment assessors; and what steps her Department is taking to improve the knowledge of that condition among assessors.

The PIP assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the assessor to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. The focus is on ensuring that the Health Professionals are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on the individual’s daily life.

All Health Care Professionals receive training on a wide range of conditions including sight loss and visual impairments. They have access to a range of resources as well as experienced clinicians within their business, to support them in assessing claimants with these conditions.

In addition, Assessment Providers engage with medical experts, sight loss charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen, review and update their training programmes.