Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Hollinrake on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what account is taken of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in assessing health conditions as part of work capability assessments.

Priti Patel

Entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is based not on what health conditions a claimant has, but on the functional impact of those conditions. During the Work Capability Assessment claimants are assessed against a number of descriptors covering physical, mental, cognitive and intellectual functions. The healthcare professional makes a recommendation on the individual’s functional capability to the DWP Decision Maker, who makes the decision on benefit entitlement by considering all available evidence, including the assessment report and any additional clinical information.