Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for personal independence payments have been rejected since the introduction of that benefit; and how many of those rejected applications have been overturned by (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) tribunal hearing.

The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) registrations and clearances split by geographical area (local authority and parliamentary constituency) and by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) mandatory reconsideration registrations and clearances by type (e.g. 'New decision - Award changed') for Great Britain, for both new claims and reassessed claims, can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-april-2016 (Tables 7a and 7b). These statistics will include a number of mandatory reconsiderations that have been raised against awarded claims as well as disallowed (rejected) claims.

To answer your questions in full, and provide a further breakdown of the mandatory reconsideration data for the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, can only be done at a disproportionate cost.

Information on the number of PIP appeals and their outcomes is published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). A link to the latest national level statistics published on 6 June 2016 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics#employment-tribunal-and-employment-appeal-tribunal-statistics-gb

See table 2.7. However, the data is not published at lower geographical levels. Further enquiries should be referred to MoJ.