Following the U-turn on welfare reform, Sir Stephen Timms’ PIP review is now underway
Following the scrapping of the controversial benefit eligibility changes from the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill in July, several concessions were made to advance the welfare reform. Among these was the establishment of a fresh review examining the PIP assessment process, to be headed by the Minister of State for Disability and Social Security.
Sir Stephen Timms has now provided insight into what this review might entail and how it could transform the benefit currently received by 3.7 million people nationwide.
During an appearance on BBC’s Access All podcast, the minister emphasised that unlike the previous reform attempt, this review isn’t driven by any cost-reduction objectives.
He explained: “The review exercise is not designed to deliver spending cuts. We’ll have to operate within the current projections. This review is not intended to deliver cuts, I don’t think some of the people we need to involve in the review wouldn’t be (involved) if they thought that’s what it was for.”
The MP also outlined the review’s structure, placing disabled people and disability charities at the heart of his strategy, though within a limited consultation group.
Sir Timms revealed he envisages fewer than a dozen people being directly engaged throughout the entire process. Although not yet confirmed, the MP outlined the summer plans: “What we’re doing over the summer is planning in detail how that process will be taken forward.
“What I envisage is a small group maybe 10 people who work very closely with me for the period of this review, they will have a lot of sway over the reform. We haven’t yet worked out who. That’s what we’ve got to reflect on over the summer.”
Sir Timms reflected on the last-minute compromises that allowed the Bill to pass through Parliament without definite amendments to Personal Independence Payments, describing it as “an example of democracy doing what it’s supposed to do”. He highlighted how Labour listened and changed its plans when people spoke up both in and outside of Parliament.
Elaborating further, he said: “We listened to those concerns and as you know there was a proposal to limit eligibility for PIP to people who had four points on at least one of the daily living activities.
“We decided not to go ahead with that instead to set up a full review of the PIP assessment which I will lead and co-produce with disabled people and disability organisations.
“It means we are going to be taking a lead from disabled people and representatives in this work over the next year or so…I think that’s a positive example that we need now to build on in taking forward this review.”
The initial welfare reform proposals were forecasted to slash about £5 billion from welfare expenditure by 2030. Official government statistics suggested that this would have prevented roughly 800,000 people from receiving the daily living component.
Of this group, 370,000 would have forfeited their entitlement due to an award received, and 430,000 were projected to be future claimants. On average, these 800,000 disabled people would have seen a yearly reduction of £4,500 in support.