Written questions by Glindon.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 12735 on Personal Independence Payments, if he will take steps to reduce the median wait for award review decisions.

We are aware that many claimants are waiting a long time for their award review. Due to competing priorities and limited resources, we are currently prioritising getting new claims into payment as quickly as possible to ensure financial support is provided for those who need it. Most award review decisions are now made without the need for an assessment by a Healthcare Professional, where we have sufficient information, which helps to reduce the time taken to process many cases. For those waiting for a review, we keep them informed and continue to extend awards where necessary, to ensure claims remain in payment. This also ensures continuity of entitlement to Motability vehicles and blue badges for those who need it.

What estimate her Department has made of the average wait for a Personal Independence Payment review decision.

We make every effort to conduct award reviews as soon as possible. Most decisions are made without the need for an assessment by a Healthcare Professional. Where the claimant requests a review of their Personal Independence Payment award, the median wait is 69 working days as of September 2024. Where the review is initiated by the department, the median wait for a decision that is referred to an assessment provider is 290 working days as of September 2024, and 252 days where it is not referred to an assessment provider. Whilst reviews are outstanding, all payments to existing claimants continue. Should a review identify eligibility for an increased award, backdated payments will be made where appropriate to ensure claimants are not adversely impacted by delays.

If she will take steps to (a) advise claimants migrating to Universal Credit from legacy benefits to check whether their eligibility for NHS Help with Health Costs will change and (b) include this advice in migration letters.

Jobcentre staff recognise that not all customers are aware of other financial help they may be entitled to. In such cases staff will signpost customers to online financial support. We do not have plans to include this advice in migration letters. User research suggests that customers can feel overwhelmed with the volume of information in the migration notice, so we are careful about how much we include, focusing on the most relevant information and signpost people to services to support them with making their claim.

If she will take steps to improve the capacity of local authorities to administer the Household Support Fund.

Since October 2021, over £2.9 billion has been allocated to Local Authorities (LAs) in England to support those most in need through the Household Support Fund (HSF). LAs have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out for the fund. This is because they have the ties and the knowledge to best determine how support should be provided in their local communities. We understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver support to their residents and ensuring we can deliver our missions. We will provide councils with more stability and certainty through multi-year funding settlements and by ending wasteful competitive bidding. This will ensure councils can plan their finances for the future properly, delivering better value for money for taxpayers.

What estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of households where income does not meet essential spending in Newcastle East and Wallsend constituency.

No such assessment has been made. Statistics on the number of people living in low income households in the UK at a regional level are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics publication, available here: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). These are on a before and after housing costs basis and include measures of material deprivation. The numbers of children living in low income families before housing costs by constituency are published annually in the Children in Low Income Families Publication, available here: Childrenin low income families: local area statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, but too many people are being denied the security and dignity that comes with being in good work. The Get Britain Working White Paper, to be set out in the Autumn, will develop measures to reduce inactivity and help people to find better paid and more secure jobs. For those most in need, an additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England until 31 March 2025, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual.