Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) all new claimants of personal independence payment (PIP) and (b) new claimants of PIP identifying as having a primary condition of (i) sight loss and (ii) a visual impairment did not receive an award during their initial PIP assessment but received an award at (A) mandatory reconsideration and (B) tribunal in Scotland in each year since 2013.
The information requested is provided in the tables below.
Table 1: PIP decisions, MRs and appeals – People with a primary disabling condition of visual diseases, Scotland, new claims and reassessments
| Initial decisions | Failed initial assessment | Failed initial assessment - Changed at mandatory reconsideration | Failed initial assessment - Overturned at tribunal appeal |
2013-14 | 70 | 10 | # | # |
2014-15 | 420 | 120 | # | 10 |
2015-16 | 620 | 150 | 10 | 30 |
2016-17 | 1,250 | 220 | 10 | 40 |
2017-18 | 1,000 | 230 | 10 | 50 |
Table 2: PIP decisions, MRs and appeals – Scotland, New claims
| Initial decisions | Failed initial assessment | Failed initial assessment - Changed at MR | Failed initial assessment - Overturned at appeal | |||
| Number | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
2013-14 | 10,460 | 2,480 | 24% | 140 | 6% | 160 | 6% |
2014-15 | 55,460 | 13,140 | 24% | 360 | 3% | 1,190 | 9% |
2015-16 | 48,740 | 12,640 | 26% | 370 | 3% | 1,180 | 9% |
2016-17 | 52,560 | 13,430 | 26% | 510 | 4% | 1,170 | 9% |
2017-18 | 57,290 | 15,830 | 28% | 560 | 4% | 1,620 | 10% |
Table 3: PIP decisions, MRs and appeals – People with a primary disabling condition of visual diseases, Scotland, New claims
| Initial decisions | Failed initial assessment | Failed initial assessment - Changed at MR | Failed initial assessment - Overturned at appeal | |||
| Number | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
2013-14 | 70 | 10 | 19% | # | # | # | # |
2014-15 | 350 | 120 | 33% | # | # | 10 | 8% |
2015-16 | 300 | 120 | 40% | # | # | 20 | 14% |
2016-17 | 290 | 110 | 38% | # | # | 10 | 11% |
2017-18 | 340 | 140 | 41% | # | # | 20 | 16% |
Since PIP was introduced 3.7m decisions have been made in Great Britain for all health conditions up to September 2018, of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned.
The data has been rounded to the nearest 10. # Fewer than 5 in this category.
PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants, and covers new claims and DLA reassessment claims.
In the application process, claimants’ main disabling condition is only recorded for collation by the Department at assessment. Therefore the figures in Table 2 will include claims where the disability has not been recorded due to the assessment not being completed, and are therefore not comparable to the figures in Table 3.
Data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. It is not possible to break down the condition of “visual disease” into sight loss or visual impairment from the data.
The appeals may include decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal.
Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.