DWP to launch new PIP plan to get more people into work

The way disability benefits work in the UK is set to change, DWP has announced. The system of health and disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), will be modified in the coming months 'so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work', according to the government.

According to Social Security and Disability Minister Stephen Timms, the aim is to improve the 'experience of applying for PIP', including finding out about benefits in the first instance, eligibility and decisions and payment of the benefit.

The anticipated reforms will be disclosed prior to Chancellor Rachel Reeves's delivery of the Spring Statement on Wednesday, March 26.

In a written response to Democratic Unionist Party MP Gregory Campbell's query about discussions with affected individuals, the Minister for Social Security and Disabilities said: "We believe there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits across Great Britain so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work, to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today."

"This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do. And with any reform, including the Health and Disability Green Paper we intend to publish in the spring, we will consult with disabled people and representative organisations."

"Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have already started to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives, including through stakeholder roundtables and public visits. We look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months."

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall, who will outline extensive reforms to health and disability benefits this spring, emphasised the need to transition more people from welfare into employment, reports LancsLive. Ms Kendall attributed the inability to control welfare spending to Conservative governments.

She told the PA news agency: "We're going to get the benefits bill on a more sustainable course - and it has to be, we cannot accept these costs of failure, failure for individuals, failure for businesses and failure for the economy. But the way to do this is to get more people into work through the reforms that we're putting in place in our Jobcentres and through reform of the benefit system.

"And we'll be bringing forward our green paper on reforming sickness and disability benefits in the spring." The £137.4 billion welfare cap set by the previous government for 2024/25 is projected to be exceeded by £8.6 billion.

She continued: "This is our inheritance from the Conservative government. And the Tories failed on welfare because they failed on work.

"We have got almost record numbers of people out of work due to long-term health problems. That's terrible for them, it's terrible for their living standards, it's terrible for employers who want to recruit, and it's terrible for the public finances."

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