DWP confirms major PIP changes to 'transform' how benefit is claimed

DWP is acceptable to overhaul the full PIP service

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has unveiled its intentions to revamp wellness and disablement payment services, throwing a lifeline with the modernisation of processes surrounding Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disabilities, has confirmed ambitions to alteration PIP services from apical to bottommost – aiming to amended everything from consciousness to payments arsenic portion of the Health Transformation Programme.

The quality came retired pursuing a query by Gregory Campbell, the Democratic Unionist Party MP, regarding discussions betwixt the DWP and stakeholders astir prospective adjustments to PIP, the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), and Disability Living Allowance (DLA). .

In a written statement, Sir Stephen highlighted: "We judge determination is simply a beardown lawsuit to alteration the strategy of wellness and disablement benefits crossed Great Britain truthful that it amended enables radical to participate and stay successful work, to respond to the analyzable and fluctuating quality of the wellness conditions galore radical unrecorded with today."

He continued to explicate the Government's dedication: "This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled radical astatine the bosom of each that we do, and with immoderate reform, including the Health and Disability Green Paper we mean to people successful the Spring, we volition consult with disabled radical and typical organisations."

Ahead of the Green Paper consultation, a spokesperson highlighted the efforts being made to impact those straight affected: "Ahead of the ceremonial consultation for the Green Paper, we person already started to research ways of engaging with disabled radical and their representatives, including done stakeholder roundtables and nationalist visits, and look guardant to progressing these initiatives implicit the coming months."

Speaking astir improvements to the Personal Independence Payment system, Sir Stephen explained: "About the PIP work specifically: the Health Transformation Programme is modernising wellness and disablement payment services, to amended people's acquisition of applying for PIP. The Programme volition alteration the full PIP service, from uncovering retired astir benefits done to decisions, eligibility, and payments.

"The Programme communicates and engages often with disabled radical and outer stakeholders - including nationalist charities and different organisations that enactment radical with disabilities - astir projected changes. Their opinions and suggestions are taken connected committee arsenic we trial caller iterations of the transformed service."

Last week, Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, highlighted the request for a sustainable semipermanent payment budget, informing of the fiscal strains by stating the federation can't support shouldering the "costs of failure".

The DWP head, gearing up for large overhauls to wellness and disablement benefits this Spring, stressed the value of moving much radical from payment to work. Ms Kendall blamed the inability to power payment spending connected Conservative governments.

In speech with the PA quality agency, she explained: "We're going to get the benefits measure connected a much sustainable people - and it has to be, we cannot judge these costs of failure, nonaccomplishment for individuals, nonaccomplishment for businesses and nonaccomplishment for the economy."

She added: "But the mode to bash this is to get much radical into enactment done the reforms that we're putting successful spot successful our Jobcentres and done betterment of the payment system. And we'll beryllium bringing guardant our greenish insubstantial connected reforming sickness and disablement benefits successful the spring."

It's forecasted that the erstwhile government's payment headdress of £137.4 cardinal for 2024/25 volition beryllium exceeded by £8.6 billion.

Ms Kendall expressed to PA: "This is our inheritance from the Conservative government. And the Tories failed connected payment due to the fact that they failed connected work."

"We person got astir grounds numbers of radical retired of enactment owed to semipermanent wellness problems. That's unspeakable for them. It's unspeakable for their surviving standards. It's unspeakable for employers who privation to enlistee and it's unspeakable for the nationalist finances."

"So we request large reforms successful the mode that we enactment to get much radical into those jobs, which volition assistance bring the benefits measure onto a much sustainable footing."

On January 29, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, successful her important code connected economical growth, promised a thorough revamp of the nation's payment system. She underscored her committedness to addressing long-neglected issues, stating: "fundamental betterment of our payment system" and highlighting circumstantial challenges specified arsenic "looking astatine areas that person been ducked for excessively agelong similar the rising outgo of wellness and disablement benefits".