Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure the prompt payment of benefits to people with motor neurone disease; whether his Department plans to make changes to that regime for such people; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt, Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work: We are committed to processing all claims as quickly as possible, while ensuring we have all the evidence we need to make the right decisions. In Personal Independence Payment around 81,000 claims are processed each month compared with 80,000 per month this time last year. As at July 2017 the average claimant was waiting 8 weeks for an assessment for both new and reassessment claims. Where a claimant is terminally ill, their claim is fast tracked, these cases are currently taking just 6 working days to clear.

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