Government Win By Just 16 Votes On PIP Amendment
The government has headed off a House of Lords defeat over plans to replace the Disability Living Allowance.
Ministers want to amend the system to make sure claimants have more medical tests, but opponents say this will mean 500,000 people will lose benefits.
A proposal to delay the scheme by carrying out an extended pilot project before it is implemented across the country was beaten by 16 votes.
The government suffered three Lords defeats on the issue last week.
Introduced in 1992 to help disabled people cope with the extra costs they face in their daily lives, Disability Living Allowance is paid to two million people of working age.
It is thought that half a million fewer people will qualify for the replacement Personal Independence Payments by 2015 if the changes are passed.
The government wants to pass its Welfare Reform Bill by the end of the parliamentary session in May.
It says the proposals will substantially reduce the multi-billion pound welfare bill, helping to cut the deficit while also increasing incentives to work and targeting support for the vulnerable more effectively.
