Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Serious Medical Conditions: Financial Support

Monday 18 March 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • My Department supports the long-term sick and disabled through universal credit, its health element, and the personal independence payment.
  • The Minister offered best wishes to a constituent, Jenifer Picton, undergoing cancer treatment and unable to work, and offered to meet to discuss her case in detail.
  • The UK Government will keep the personal independence payment and assessment processes under review, as highlighted by the Labour MP Marsha de Cordova's questions on PIP appeals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Duncan Baker
Benefits & Welfare
Context

No specific background event mentioned, but the question focuses on existing financial supports provided by the Department.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to support financially people unable to work due to serious medical conditions. My Department does a great deal to support the long-term sick and disabled, including through universal credit and its health element, and through the personal independence payment, which is a contribution to the additional costs of sickness and disability.

Answer from Mel Stride

My Department does a great deal to support the long-term sick and disabled, including through universal credit and its health element, and through the personal independence payment, which is a contribution to the additional costs of sickness and disability.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps or details on how financial support is being provided for those unable to work due to serious medical conditions were not addressed in detail.

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Q2 Duncan Baker
NHS Benefits & Welfare
Context

A constituent, Jenifer Picton, is undergoing cancer treatment and struggles to get financial support from the system despite having managed to receive PIP.

Question

My constituent Jenifer Picton is currently undergoing extensive treatment for cancer and is consequently unable to work. I wish Ms Picton all the very best with her treatment. She has come to my office, which has helped with universal credit, PIP and the new-style employment and support allowance. She has now managed to get PIP, but given that she is seriously ill, why should she have to come to my office for help? Why do we make it so arduous and difficult for people who need treatment to get help?

Answer from Mel Stride

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and the typical assiduity with which he takes up his constituency case. May I send my best wishes, and I am sure those of the whole House, to Ms Picton? I am happy to meet him to discuss in more detail the circumstances that he has described.

Not addressed: The issue regarding the difficulty faced by individuals like Ms Picton in accessing financial support was not addressed directly. Instead, the Minister offered to discuss it further.

How: I Am Happy To Meet Him To Discuss In More Detail The Circumstances That He Has Described.

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Q3 Marsha de Cordova Lab Battersea
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Data shows over 50,000 ill or disabled people had their PIP appeals upheld without new evidence. The UK Government will be examined by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities following a 2016 special inquiry.

Question

Data in responses to my written questions on PIP appeals shows that more than 50,000 ill or disabled people had their appeals upheld at tribunal without the need for new evidence. Given that the UK Government will be examined today by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities following its 2016 special inquiry that found that the threshold had been met for grave and systematic violations, is it not time to replace the flawed and outdated PIP system with a framework that is fit for purpose?

Answer from Mel Stride

Of course, we always keep all benefits under review at the Department, including PIP and the assessment processes. As the hon. Lady points out, there is rightly an appeals process for those who are not happy with the conclusions of those assessments. We keep those under review, and I can reassure her that they represent a relatively small proportion of the total number of applications.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question specifically asked if it was time to replace the PIP system, but the Minister did not directly address this request for change. Instead, he mentioned keeping benefits under review generally without committing to replacing the system.

How: Of Course, We Always Keep All Benefits Under Review At The Department, Including Pip And The Assessment Processes.

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