Dr. Devesh Singh:

Yes, our forms are designed to capture that kind of information from customers. I keep repeating that the more information that is provided to us, the better the quality of the decision making at claim stage, so we do not have to review on appeal. That is the model we follow.

The grading of ill-health and disability is not new. We have been practising it in our partial capacity scheme. We were interested when it was introduced in 2012. I remember how uplifting it was for the medical assessors in the Department to see they can do more when the illness is more severe. They can allow people who have the capacity, interest and ambition to return to work to do so as prior to that, the rule was that those claiming an invalidity pension could not work. That was positive and this follows on from that model. Members may be surprised to see that there are a lot of people with disabilities currently in our scheme who have an ambition and intention to work at whatever level they can. It gives them social inclusion, respect and dignity. We should respect that.