Stephen Timms’s Pip review is expected this week to say the disability benefit is not fit for purpose. The interim findings are set to argue that the current assessment system for adults in England and Wales must be redrawn.
The review has been prepared with disabled people and charities, and it is expected to conclude that the points-based system has fallen behind the rise in fluctuating conditions, especially mental health conditions. One of the review’s senior messages is set out in Timms’s own words: “Our message is simple: Pip is not working.”
Timms commissioned the review after last summer’s defeat in the Commons over tighter eligibility rules for Pip, part of the government’s climbdown over welfare cuts. A Stephen Timms to set out Disability PIP overhaul this week briefing set out the expected timetable, with recommendations on the new system due this autumn.
Timms review and the points test
The current system awards points for mobility and for daily living tasks such as washing and dressing. Campaigners have argued that points for navigating a route or planning a budget were meant to capture learning disabilities but now also catch some mental health conditions, where a person’s ability to do the activity can change from day to day.
The review is expected to say that this structure is in effect worthless for a growing range of conditions, including physical conditions such as cystic fibrosis and arthritis, as well as mental health conditions. It is also expected to say the assessment process is dehumanising for disabled people and actively hinders people from seeking work.
Stephen Timms and the redesign
Timms has said: “It is not working for the people that go through the process, nor for a government committed to supporting disabled people.” He added: “We are committed to making changes so that Pip can fulfil its purpose for disabled people and those with long-term conditions, both now and into the future.”
He also said: “Doing so will require us to be radical in our thinking and bold in our recommendations for reform.” The review’s remit is not to find cuts, but the steering committee is also not allowed to suggest changes that would increase the overall projected welfare spend.
England and Wales reforms
Pip is a benefit for adults with a long-term physical or mental health condition to help meet the extra costs of disability, and it is not means-tested. The review will say there should be a new system that reflects the varied reality and needs of disabled people in England and Wales, but it is also likely to rule out a harsher version of the present points test.
The unresolved question is the shape of the replacement. The review says the system is not working, yet its steering group must stay within the existing spending envelope, so the government will need to design any replacement around eligibility rules and assessment structure rather than a simple tightening of access. For readers affected by Pip, the next practical marker is the interim review this week and the reform recommendations this autumn. A fuller account of the overhaul is due alongside Timms’s set-out of the changes this week.
