Northern Ireland

Stormont officials face further calls to record PIP assessments

Stormont civil servants are refusing to introduce similar recordings of PIP assessments in Northern Ireland
Stormont civil servants are refusing to introduce similar recordings of PIP assessments in Northern Ireland Stormont civil servants are refusing to introduce similar recordings of PIP assessments in Northern Ireland

STORMONT officials are facing further calls to provide audio recording facilities for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments following criticism for asking people to buy the equipment themselves.

The Irish News reported on Saturday how the Department for Communities (DfC) is telling people on disability benefits who want recordings of meetings to purchase their own equipment.

PIP is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA), with more than 125,000 people in Northern Ireland gradually being re-assessed to see if they qualify for the new benefit.

In Britain, a review of PIP recommended that assessors should record meetings following widespread complaints about the process.

But in response to letters from SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon, who has been calling for assessments to be routinely recorded, DfC said claimants must buy the equipment themselves.

Claimants are also not allowed to use common devices such as smartphones. Acceptable formats are "restricted to CD and audio cassette only" – and claimants must be able to provide a copy of the recording at the end of the meeting.

DfC has suggested they could buy two cassette dictaphones to meet the criteria.

The North Belfast MLA branded the department's stance "outrageous and ludicrous".

Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh MP Mickey Brady has now also expressed concerns over assessments not being recorded.

He said DfC should "take account of the many serious concerns of claimants about the integrity of PIP assessments".

"In an effort to rebuild trust and confidence in these assessments, the department should provide equipment to assessors to record interviews with claimants, if and when requested," he said.

DfC said it follows Department for Work and Pensions guidance on recording criteria.

It also said an independent review of PIP in the north has been announced and "will provide an opportunity for this issue to be further considered in a Northern Ireland context".