Clause 8
Welfare Reform Bill
3:30 pm
Jim Murphy (Minister of State (Work), Department for Work and Pensions; East Renfrewshire, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman will be aware that when we get to clause 38 we can have the debate on information sharing in much more detail. He could also table amendments if he felt it appropriate.
I turn to amendments Nos. 190, 191 and 192. The personal capability assessment is a process of gathering and evaluating information from a number of sources so that we can assess whether an individual has limited capability for work or limited capability for work-related activity based on the 15 points threshold or the 46 descriptors. We request information from health care professionals and other relevant people. Customers who are not placed in a support group are asked to complete a self-assessment form to help us to assess their condition.
Part of the evidence-gathering process is the face-to-face medical assessment with an Atos Origin health care professional. The references in clauses 8 and 9 to medical examination are to that specific element of the PCA process. Replacing “examination” with “assessment” would not make it clear that these references relate to a specific part of the process. The hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey rightly tabled his amendment in order to clarify our intention. Replacing that word, which has a specific meaning in this context, would lead to confusion about assessment and examination. As we explained earlier, this assessment process is related to three clauses and it would be unhelpful to confuse matters, as his amendment would unintentionally do. I ask him to withdraw the amendment.