Disability Benefit 'Not Fit for Purpose', Review Finds

A key disability benefit is not working for millions of disabled people or the government and needs fundamental change, the minister leading a review into it has said.

Sir Stephen Timms told the BBC the interim review of Personal Independence Payments (Pip) in England and Wales had found it to be "not fit for purpose".

People applying for the benefit told the review the process was "dehumanising" and a barrier to work.

The disability minister said his final report due later this year was not expected to make "crude proposals" on payment changes.

But with the cost of Pip expected to rise to more than £41bn by 2030, the sustainability of this would "be a concern as we reach these decisions", he said.

Last year, the UK government asked Sir Stephen to review whether Pip was "fair and fit for the future". His initial report will be published on Thursday ahead of final recommendations due in the autumn.

The interim report concludes Pip suggests a sweeping overhaul of the assessment system is needed.

The report also highlights the steep increase in the number of Pip recipients in recent years and the forecast rise in spending on the benefit.

Pip is a benefit people with long-term illnesses and disabilities can claim if they need help with extra costs associated with living, work and care.

Eligibility for Pip is determined through an assessment.

Under the current assessment system, claimants are scored on a zero to 12 scale by a health professional on everyday tasks such as washing, getting dressed and preparing food.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Stephen said Pip "does a very important job in helping people meet the additional costs of disability".

But the minister said disabled people had told the review the assessment can be "demeaning" and "deter you from participating in society".

"We've also found that it hasn't kept pace with changing understanding of health and disability over the last 13 years since the benefit was introduced, so we do think quite fundamental change is needed," Sir Stephen said.

As of April this year, there were about four million claimants entitled to Pip in England and Wales.

The number of Pip recipients has risen considerably since the benefit was introduced in 2013, with the increase fuelled by claimants citing mental health conditions in recent years.

Sir Stephens's review of Pip was commissioned by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer following his government's abortive attempt to reform welfare last year.

Dozens of Labour MPs expressed concerns about the plans to cut disability and sickness-related benefits payments to save £5bn a year by 2030.

Fearing MPs would vote down the welfare reforms, the government U-turned, saying it would not change Pip rules until it had time to consider the review's conclusions.

Sir Stephen's review is expected to make recommendations to reform Pip in the autumn.

By that time, Sir Keir's successor will be in office, with Makerfield MP Andy Burnham widely expected to be the next prime minister.

In an interview with LBC last week, Burnham said he would not make "crude cuts to benefit levels that just put people who are struggling in even worse poverty".

Sir Stephen said although he had not spoken to Burnham about his review yet, he expected the former Greater Manchester mayor to "see this process through" if he becomes PM.

"The final report will be delivered in the autumn, and I'm not expecting it to contain crude proposals," Sir Stephen said.

"They're going to be very well thought through proposals, thanks to this lengthy and very carefully considered exercise that we've gone through."

But Sir Stephen said he did recognise the projected rise in Pip payments were "government liabilities".

"We're certainly going to be looking fairly at how these decisions are being made, and the question of fiscal sustainability for the benefit is going to be a concern as we reach these decisions," Sir Stephen said.