Paul Blomfield – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2014-03-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2014, Official Report, column 318W, on Personal Independence Payment, what discussions he has had with providers about personal independence payment claim processing times.

Mike Penning

Officials meet regularly with both assessment providers to discuss performance. We are closely monitoring their progress against the Department’s expectations for service delivery, including claim processing times and are taking robust action to drive up performance where this does not meet the required standards.

Whilst, in line with other benefits, there are no statutory time limits on processing claims for PIP, we are working closely with our service providers to minimise the length of time claimants have to wait for assessments.We are also seeking to ensure that all the steps in the process run as smoothly as possible and that there are no barriers in our processes and systems that contribute to claims taking longer than necessary to progress