Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of the 2 March 2017 to Question 65538, on personal independence payment, if he will assess the potential merits of the personal independence payment assessment guide to permit claimants' companions to provide an account of the claimant's health condition or impairment in cases where that claimant has speech or hearing problems.

The assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to treat people as individuals, considering the impact of their impairment or health condition on their everyday life and how each claimant has personally adapted to living with a disability.

We recognise that information given by companions could be useful, particularly in cases where the claimant may lack insight into their condition, understate the challenges they face or have difficulty. We have made it very clear that when attending a face-to-face consultation, claimants can bring someone with them in order to support them or help them and in some cases we will also carry out consultations in claimants’ homes.

Since its inception, the system of assessing claimants’ eligibility for PIP has been continually reviewed and refined in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. We continue to work extensively with PIP assessment providers and disability representatives to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures in order to ensure a quality service is maintained. This includes in response to the Independent Review conducted by Paul Gray.