Late-night release of draft PIP recommendations raises fresh fears of future cuts

Some of disabled people’s fears appear to have been confirmed late last night as the government released draft recommendations from its review of personal independence payment (PIP) which suggest ministers are planning cuts to some cash payments.

The document provides no estimates of the likely impact of the recommendations on future spending, other than a reminder that it will not be allowed to be higher than “projections” previously published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) but could be lower.

Concerns among disabled campaigners are already focusing on the document’s lack of clarity and the suggestion that, although cash “will remain the foundation of the award”, some PIP awards “will also include services, and offer other non-cash support”.

Sir Stephen Timms (pictured), co-chair of the Timms Review and the minister for social security and disability, said in July that there was “a question about whether the process can also point people towards help that may be valuable to them in addition to, or in some cases perhaps instead of, a cash payment”.

There will also be concern that the “principles” of the new system state that any PIP award would “contribute fairly to the extra costs” of an impairment, which provides significant room for ministers to introduce cuts to some awards.

The draft recommendations leave open the possibility of completely replacing some cash payments with services or other non-cash support, and of making it harder for disabled people with some impairments to qualify for PIP.

The draft recommendations were released shortly after 9pm last night, a decision apparently aimed at making it as difficult as possible for disabled people and their organisations to make concerns known to the media.

There were also released just hours after the last prime minister’s questions before the month-long recess for party conference season, and less than 48 hours before a hugely significant Commons debate on legalising assisted suicide.

The draft recommendations do include measures aimed at making the assessment process less “stressful and dehumanising” and they claim that one of the principles of a new system will be that it will be “trusted and supportive”.

Draft recommendations include reducing unnecessary reviews of PIP awards for people with “lifelong or degenerative conditions” if no improvement in that condition is expected over time; and improving the process for people with fluctuating conditions.

They also include making DWP communications with claimants “more respectful and easier to understand”; improving the provision of reasonable adjustments for claimants; and ensuring advocacy and “tailored support” for those who need it.

The document also suggests a series of measures to improve how the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) manages the PIP assessment process and learns from appeals; and how it assesses claimants with fluctuating conditions.

It also suggests introducing the option of an online process for PIP applications; “reducing unnecessary assessments where evidence is clear”; and using evidence already held by DWP, the NHS or social care services to inform PIP decisions, with the claimant’s permission.

DWP claims the new system will “promote dignity, choice and control for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions”.

But at no point in the document does DWP promise that there will be no cuts in cash support for any existing claimants.

In one of the first responses to the draft recommendations, the Benefits and Work website pointed to significant similarities to the “infamous” 2024 Conservative health and disability green paper.

Disability Rights UK (DR UK) said it was “very concerned about the lack of clarity” in the draft recommendations, particularly on whether PIP “will remain a wholly cash benefit for all and whether some disabled people will be restricted in how they use it”, while there are no recommendations on a new eligibility framework for PIP.

It also raised “major concerns that the level of PIP is not being increased despite the growing additional costs disabled people face”.

A DR UK spokesperson said: “We welcome the assertion that PIP will remain a non-means-tested benefit.

“The draft recommendations do include positive steps towards making the process more accessible with respectful communication, more transparency of decision-making, ensuring reasonable adjustments are met and creating an advocacy service.”

The release of the draft recommendations came in the same week that findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey showed the public – including those supporting right-wing parties – strongly oppose cuts to spending on disability benefits (see separate stories).

The draft PIP recommendations will now be shared with disabled people who are set to take part in 15 workshops across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales that are aimed – ministers claim – at “shaping” the recommendations.

These workshops begin next week.

There will also be a series of “shaping recommendations roundtables” with disabled people’s organisations, charities and other organisations.

But DR UK said the workshops “should have been co-designing recommendations” but now seem to be just focus groups, while DPO Forum England – the umbrella group for leading disabled people’s organisations – “has still not been contacted to discuss the recommendations”.

Sir Stephen and his two fellow co-chairs claimed last night that they would “listen carefully to what people tell us and identify where proposals need to change or require further work, feeding this back to the steering group as we move towards our final report later this autumn”.

Disability News Service asked DWP why it released the draft recommendations after 9pm last night (Wednesday) but it had not responded by noon today.