Susan Elan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Susan Elan Jones on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people who require a mobility vehicle during a personal independence payment mandatory reconsideration and appeal process.

Justin Tomlinson

We recognise that the transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be challenging for some individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provides a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability Scheme. For the majority of these customers, who joined the scheme before 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This should help support the mobility needs of those who choose to appeal during this period.

Disability Living Allowance continues for 4 weeks after a PIP decision. Motability allows those who are no longer eligible for their scheme following PIP reassessment to keep their vehicle for a further 3 weeks, for a total of 7 weeks. This means that the majority of those requesting a mandatory reconsideration can keep their vehicle until this is completed.

We work closely with HM Courts and Tribunals Service to reduce appeals times and these continue to improve.