Monday Volume 664 7 October 2019 No. 348 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 7 October 2019 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1477 7 OCTOBER 2019 1478 This Government are stringing terminally ill people House of Commons and their families along. They already have the evidence from stakeholders and from what is happening in Scotland. When will they do what they should for these people Monday 7 October 2019 and their families and scrap the six-month rule, get implicit consent in place, and make the situation one of The House met at half-past Two o’clock fairness and dignity for people who are dying? Justin Tomlinson: I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman PRAYERS for his work as chairman of the APPG. We do take things seriously, which is why we are doing this thorough evaluation. We are already working with organisations [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] such as Marie Curie, the MND Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical Association, Hospice UK, the Association for Palliative Medicine, Macmillan, the Queen’s Nursing Institute and Sue Ryder. Oral Answers to Questions We must get the balance right so that those who should be getting fast-track access to support are always prioritised, and we will be doing a thorough evaluation to ensure that we get that right. WORK AND PENSIONS 17. [912576] Sir Vince Cable (Twickenham) (LD): Is the Minister aware that there can be severe financial stress The Secretary of State was asked— for the carer when a terminally ill person dies? One of my constituents was forced into serious debt as a result Terminally Ill People of missing payments after trying to migrate from the carer’s allowance and premium to universal credit. 1. Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab): What progress Where is the promised ministerial guidance on this her Department has made on its review of how the sensitive subject? benefits system supports terminally ill people. [912558] Justin Tomlinson: Part of the evaluation is about The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work looking at the whole process, including not only the (Justin Tomlinson): I understand how important it is six-month rule but the process before and after. I believe to support those nearing the end of their life, and I am that there has been a case in the right hon. Gentleman’ taking the evaluation forward as a priority.We have made constituency, so it would be helpful to have further progress on all areas of the work announced by the information on that as part of the evaluation. previous Secretary of State on 11 July. As a next step, we will be holding a workshop event on 29 October to Several hon. Members rose— gather key stakeholder views. Mr Speaker: I call the hon. Member for Easington Mrs Moon: The Scottish Government have already (Grahame Morris); I am very grateful to him for proffering done this work. They have talked to the medical profession, me a very effective throat remedy on Thursday. the third sector and patients. My Bill to implement a system in England and Wales is ready to go. Why are we Contracted-out Health Assessments not pushing ahead? Is this not just delaying the terminally ill from being able to access terminal illness benefits? 2. Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab): What recent assessment her Department has made of the (a) accuracy Justin Tomlinson: I pay tribute to the hon. Lady, who and (b) efficiency of contracted-out health assessments has been a tireless campaigner in this area, building on for (i) employment and support allowance and (ii) personal her personal and professional experience. I have met with independence payments. [912559] her on several occasions, including as part of this work. Wewant to get things right. Weunderstand the importance The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work of the issue, and we are doing internal research with (Justin Tomlinson): We are committed to ensuring that clinicians and external research with claimants and individuals receive high-quality assessments as part of stakeholders. Weare also looking at international research, the suite of evidence that decision makers can use to which will include what the Scottish Government are decide entitlement. Providers are closely monitored against doing, and we will be concentrating on the process to a range of measures, including through independent ensure that it is improved. This is an important area. audit, to improve the accuracy of the advice they provide to decision makers. We continually look to improve the Several hon. Members rose— efficiency of the assessment process by working closely with providers. Mr Speaker: Given that the hon. Gentleman chairs the all-party parliamentary group for terminal illness, I Grahame Morris: I listened intently to the Minister’s call Drew Hendry. response, but my constituent has a series of complex and debilitating medical conditions and had been in Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and receipt of disability benefit since 1994. At 60, when she Strathspey) (SNP): Thank you, Mr Speaker. had expected to retire, the Department for Work and 1479 Oral Answers 7 OCTOBER 2019 Oral Answers 1480 Pensions declared her fit for work. Given that 74% of accessing vital social security and, for many, is a deliberate fit-for-work decisions were overturned on appeal in delay to the appeal process. As 85% of MR decisions 2018-19, what confidence can the Minister give my are upheld, almost three quarters of PIP assessments constituent that there is equality and consistency of are overturned on appeal. Will the Minister lay out his decisions on work capability assessments and, indeed, plans to improve this failing process, or will he follow that the decision-making process is correct? Labour’slead and scrap this unfit-for-purpose assessment? Justin Tomlinson: We strive to get the right decision Justin Tomlinson: The hon. Lady is absolutely right to first time, but we have to do much more to speed up the highlight the need to improve mandatory reconsiderations, appeal process in the minority of cases where that does which is why we brought forward the pilots in the not happen. That is why we launched a series of pilots spring. The pilots are proactively gathering the additional in the spring of mandatory reconsideration centres for written and oral evidence that was often presented at both personal independent payment and work capability the end of the independent appeal process, which would assessment, to ensure that we proactively gather the sometimes take a year or even longer—that was not additional written and oral evidence that is often presented acceptable. We have been doing this over the summer, at the end of the independent appeal process, speeding and we are now doing it for all PIP and work capability up the process of ensuring that people get the right assessments. I attended a PIP mandatory reconsideration decision quickly. in Cardiff over the summer, and we are seeing some fantastic results because, rightly, we are speaking directly Sarah Newton (Truro and Falmouth) (Con): I know to claimants to ask them why they are challenging a the Minister is determined to see improvements in how decision. That will make a big difference, and stakeholders decisions are made. Will he kindly update the House on warmly welcome it. the progress on introducing a single assessment service, which will greatly help the situation? Universal Credit: Disabled Claimants Justin Tomlinson: I thank my hon. Friend for raising 3. Jessica Morden (Newport East) (Lab): What that. She works tirelessly in this area and is held in great assessment her Department has made of the effect of respect by all Members on both sides of the House. the introduction of universal credit on the financial The integrated assessment is looking at how, with the circumstances of disabled claimants. [912560] claimant’s permission, we can share the evidence they have already gathered. We know that the majority of 18. Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) successful appeals contain additional written and oral (Lab): What assessment her Department has made of evidence, often because the claimant had previously the effect of the introduction of universal credit on the struggled to get that evidence. If the evidence is already financial circumstances of disabled claimants. [912577] in the system, we should be making it as easy as possible for the claimant to use it a second time. The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Justin Tomlinson): Universal credit targets additional Frank Field (Birkenhead) (Ind): Might I meet the support at a wider group than the system it replaces, Minister immediately after questions to give him a file with a much higher rate for severely disabled people of photographs of constituents who have failed to get than the employment and support allowance equivalent. any mobility component, even when they have foot Around 1 million disabled households will gain, on bones coming through their flesh like in the photo I average, £100 a month on universal credit compared have here, so that we can have an urgent meeting to with legacy benefits. discuss how the procedure that we all wish to see is not currently operating? Jessica Morden: It is shameful that it took the Government 15 months and a High Court ruling to sort Justin Tomlinson: I would be very happy to meet the out payments for those with severe disabilities, but it right hon. Gentleman, who has a huge amount of expertise goes on. Why does a young constituent with Down’s in this area.