A number of constituents have contacted me about letter
ESA65B, which the Department for Work and Pensions has been sending to doctors
of people claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The emails I have received included a link to the original
article from May 2018, which also included a link advising that the Member of
Parliament who had raised this matter, Emma Dent Coad, was continuing to ask
questions in Parliament on it.
If constituents follow that link, they will see Emma Dent
Coad’s latest Parliamentary Question from 13 March 2019. I have included a copy
of the question and reply below:
Question:
‘To ask the Secretary
of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2018 to
Question 146988 on the revised wording of the ESA65B letters sent to employment
support allowance claimants’ GPs, on what date the meeting took place at which
the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners
agreed to that revised wording.’
Reply:
‘The British Medical
Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners agreed to the
revised wording of the ESA65B on 4 August 2016.
The Department is
committed to ensuring all of its communications are clear, accurate and
understandable and we continuously improve our letters. We engage regularly
with the welfare benefits advice sector and disability charities and take into
account all of the feedback we receive.
We have received
comments from a number of sources including MPs, stakeholder organisations and
GPs on the current version of the ESA65B letter and will take all of their
feedback into account when revising it.’
I am pleased that the content of the letter was approved
following the correct process, including advice by medical professionals. I am
also pleased that the Department for Work and Pensions has shown a commitment
to continuously improve its letters and will be revising letter ESA65B because
of the feedback received.
Of course ESA as a benefit is being phased out entirely and
replaced by Universal Credit, so this should remove this letter entirely in the
future.
I hope this is helpful in clarifying my position on this
matter.
