Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken to proactively (a) contact and (b) advise people affected by the introduction of personal independence payment; and what advice her Department provides to those people.

The Department is committed to ensuring that Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claimants who will be invited to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are made aware of this. Since 2014, the annual DLA uprating notice sent to current DLA claimants has contained information about PIP and that DWP will write to them to invite them to claim PIP when their DLA is due to end.

The Department ran a communications campaign about DLA ending between November 2015 and April 2016. This included digital advertising and the distribution of leaflets by community organisations. The ‘DLA is ending’ leaflet is still available.

DWP continues to work closely with organisations and national stakeholder forums to raise awareness and understanding of PIP, and improve the information we provide. Information about PIP is available on the GOV.UK and on all the main disability organisations’ websites. We also update professional bodies and associations covering hospitals, GP surgeries and local authorities on PIP changes.