Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to monitor the performance of Atos in conducting personal independence payment assessments.

The Department has a strong contract management and operational monitoring regime in place that enables us to robustly monitor the performance of contracted providers including the requirements for the quality of assessments which are assessed through independent audit.

There are a range of mechanisms in place to address performance falling below expected standards, including the application of financial remedies where appropriate.