During today's debate on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, the Minister for Social Security and Welfare, Sir Stephen Timms MP, announced a significant change to the Bill which would take place at Committee stage. This would remove the Clause which would have introduced tighter eligibility for PIP by requiring a claimant to score at least 4 points in one domain. He recognised the concerns that the legislation was being brought forward before the review is concluded.
He said that Clause 5 of the Bill would, therefore, be removed. He pledged that the review of PIP would be concluded by Autumn 2026.
This means that the co-produced review of PIP will be delivered before any new provisions or changes are brought in.
Government have already announced that existing claimants of PIP and those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance too, would be protected. Now the review will come first before any future changes are made.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said:
"Unpaid carers will be hugely relieved that the Government has recognised the harmful impact the proposed changes to PIP could have on whole families.
"Legislating for a system that would be under review would have been entirely in the wrong order.
"These proposals have caused untold stress and worry for many thousands of carers. It's the right decision to ensure that the Timms review of PIP is concluded and that the implications for unpaid carers are known before the Government takes any further steps.
"It was absolutely right to say last week that existing claimants would be protected, thereby safeguarding the Carer's Allowance for around 69,000 unpaid carers, but we needed to see more change, as we have done today.
"Moving forward, the review must act quickly to involve and listen to unpaid carers, to understand their needs and ensure that nobody loses their crucial entitlements. This is a real opportunity to get engagement right for unpaid carers, fully consider the implications of any changes to PIP on them and their entitlement to Carer's Allowance.
"For those who care for more than 35 hours a week, the poverty rate is 43%, more than double that of those who are not unpaid carers. The Government must look again at how to enhance support for unpaid carers, not reduce it.
"Unpaid carers support is worth a staggering £184 billion a year and yet they can be thrown into poverty, face poorer health and lower life-chances as a result of caring. Most have no choice about providing unpaid care. They have been badly scarred by this Bill and welfare reforms, and it's time that we made things better, not worse for unpaid carers."