mark harper, disability, disabled people, work capability allowance
Minister for Disabled People gives evidence in one-off session
28 January 2015
The Work and Pensions Committee holds a one-off evidence session with the Minister for Disabled People.
- Parliament TV: Progress with disability and incapacity benefit reforms
- Transcript of session
- Inquiry: Progress with disability and incapacity benefit reforms
- Work and Pensions Committee
Witnesses
Wednesday 28 January 2015, Grimond Room, Portcullis House
At 9.30am
Department for Work and Pensions
- Mr Mark Harper MP, Minister for Disabled People
- Noel Shanahan, Director General, Operations
- Justin Russell, Director, Employment and Support Allowance Directorate
Purpose of the session
The session follows issues raised in the Committee’s July 2014 report on Employment and Support Allowance and Work Capability Allowance. It also looks at progress with implementing Personal Independence Payments since the Committee last questioned the Minister on this in September 2014.
Topics to be covered
ESA/WCAs
- Transfer to new contractor for WCA (Maximus)
- Progress in tackling backlog in claims and assessments
- Findings of the Year 5 independent review of the WCA (by Dr Paul Litchfield, published in November 2014)
PIP
- Progress in reducing delays in the PIP claims process, including:
- whether Government’s 26 and 16 week targets for assessments have been achieved, and
- performance of contracted providers of the PIP assessment - Outcomes for claimants
- Findings of the first independent review of the PIP assessment (PDF 1.67 MB) (by Paul Gray, published in December 2014)