Ministers Seek To Overhaul PIP

Disabled people could face major changes to how the personal independence payments (PIP) benefit works, as the government tries to tackle the rising number of claimants with a mental health condition.

Reforms to PIP could include stopping regular cash payments, and instead offering claimants one-off grants for things like home adaptations.

The number of people claiming PIP in relation to anxiety and depression has soared in recent years, leading Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to say on Monday: “We need to do something about that.”

The disability charity Scope described the plans as a “reckless assault on disabled people”.

The plans are subject to a 12-week consultation, ending on 23 July.

It is highly unlikely there will be enough time to implement the changes before the general election, which is expected to take place by the end of the year.

How much is PIP? Who can claim it?

PIP was introduced in 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance for people of working age to help with extra living costs caused by long-term disabilities or ill health.

How much people are given depends on how difficult they find everyday tasks and getting around. The maximum weekly payment is £184.30.

You can claim PIP whether you have a job or not – and many claimants have told BBC News disability correspondent Nikki Fox the payments are essential to help them stay in work.

The most recent statistics, external say more than 3.3 million people in Britain receive PIP to help with the extra cost of living with a health condition or disability. Some claimants are of retirement age but are eligible because they received support when they were of working age.

The cash can be used for things like special diets, additional laundry, accessible transport and higher insurance costs.

The government says spending on PIP is expected to grow by 52% from 2023/24 to £32.8bn by 2027/28.

The number of monthly new claimants in England and Wales, where the main condition was anxiety and depression, grew from an average of 2,200 a month in 2019 to 5,300 a month last year.

And the government says the rise to the benefits bill is “unsustainable”.

In Scotland, PIP is being replaced with Adult Disability Payment, external.

Paul Harris, from Barnard Castle, gets £72.65 a week in PIP payments to help with extra costs associated with his anxiety and depression – such as for specialist therapy apps and counselling.

He stopped his job as a property manager in 2016 after developing panic attacks that got so bad he would burst into tears in the office and lock himself in the toilet.

He has not been able to work since then and says PIP is the “last stronghold” of benefits that can support him.

Mr Harris said: “I used to call myself zero, because I had zero money coming in. I had no job… so in a weird way, just a little bit of money coming in just sort of changed those thoughts.”

He does receive employment and support allowance, but cannot claim job seekers’ allowance because he says his mental health is a barrier to applying for jobs, despite previously seeking support from the Jobcentre.

He said the money he receives “does not solve the problems”, adding: “It’s not a miracle cure – it doesn’t mean we can go off on holidays and live this frivolous lifestyle.”

Mr Harris does not believe there is enough long-term support available for those with mental health issues.