Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the quality of the feedback received from presenting officers on personal independence payment tribunals.

The helpful feedback from Presenting Officers (POs), has resulted in decision makers, appeals writers and POs themselves, reviewing their approach to the weighing of evidence, including taking a more considerative view of existing evidence. Changes have also been made to how decisions are being explained to claimants and in the paperwork prepared for appeal tribunals. Further, it has fed into our new approach for PIP cases where we contact claimants, where appropriate, to see if there is information that would enable us to change the decision ourselves at Mandatory Reconsideration or at the appeal stage.