Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which medical bodies and clinicians the Chief Medical Officer liaised with to develop the guidance in the benefit system on terminal illness.

The rules for people who are terminally ill were introduced into Attendance Allowance in 1990 following a recommendation from the Social Security Advisory Committee. The rules have been carried forward into a number of benefits unchanged and now apply across Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit.

The Department has recently met with a range of stakeholders, including leading clinicians, to discuss the current wording used in the benefit system around terminal illness, with the aim of improving guidance on terminal illness cases and understanding of the rules. This is part of our continuous improvement work to improve people’s experience of claiming benefits.