PIP supports people who live with a long-term health condition or disability
The DWP has announced the launch of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The review is intended to make sure the benefit is “fair and fit for the future in a changing world”. Ministers will look at making changes to the benefit help disabled people in achieving “better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment”.
PIP presently offers financial help ranging from £116.80 to £749.80 every four-week payment period, to more than 3.8 million people across England and Wales. The benefit helps people manage the additional expenses associated with a disability or long-term health condition, reports the Daily Record.
Labour has pledged it is “committed to ensuring it remains a non-means-tested cash benefit, there for people in and out of work”. Despite changing trends in disability and long-term health conditions, as well as changes to the workplace and society, the Government said that PIP has never undergone a comprehensive review.
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The Government said: “To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, carers, clinicians, experts, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders.
“The Review will be co-chaired by Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sharron Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. The co-chairs will oversee a steering group which will jointly lead the Review.”
Elements of PIP under review
The Timms Review will examine both the daily living and mobility components of PIP.
It will assess:
- The function of PIP – as the future single gateway to health-related and disability benefits – in supporting disabled people and those with long-term conditions to live independently and participate fully in society
- The assessment criteria – including activities, descriptors and associated points – to determine whether these effectively capture the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in today’s world
- Whether any additional evidence should be considered alongside the functional assessment to fairly reflect the impact of living with a long-term health condition or disability, including factors related to an individual’s personal circumstances and environment.
- How the PIP assessment could provide fair access to appropriate support at the correct level across the benefits system.
- What function the PIP assessment could and should have in providing access to wider support to help claimants better achieve improved living standards and greater independence.
Principles of the Timms Review
The UK Government has outlined the scope and several key principles of the Timms Review.
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These include:
- The Review aims to guarantee that PIP remains fair and suitable for the future – acknowledging the reality of individuals’ conditions alongside their aspirations and objectives – while considering societal changes since its original conception and launch.
- The Review will maintain PIP as a vital component of the health-related and disability benefits system, delivering non-means-tested assistance for individuals whether employed or not
- The Review will examine how proposals might be implemented for reassessments of existing PIP claimants, to guarantee fairness and suitability for both new and current recipients.
The DWP said: “We are committed to concluding the Review by Autumn 2026. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden), so that the Government can then make any decisions flowing from it.
“These could take the form of changes to primary legislation, secondary legislation, as well as a range of potential non-legislative actions.”
