The Department for Work and Pensions is pushing ahead with its huge changes to benefits despite a backlash from charities, MPs and members of the public
The Department for Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced on Tuesday plans to slash around £5 billion from the benefits budget by the end of the decade, introducing a raft of controversial measures aimed at reducing the rising number of sickness and disability benefit claimants.
The proposed reforms have sparked intense debate, with over 50 Labour backbenchers pressing for answers as Liz Kendall outlined the cuts in the House of Commons, amidst condemnation from charities describing the cuts as “cruel and devastating.”
Compounding disability advocates’ concerns, Labour’s planned benefit changes’ most contentious aspects are conspicuously absent from their public consultation, prompting one advocacy group to denounce the online consultation on the biggest welfare reforms in ten years as “bogus.”
During the consultation, disabled individuals, charities, and the general public will not be given the opportunity to comment on the intention to abolish the Work Capability Assessment by 2028. Instead, assessments for all sickness and disability claims related to Universal Credit will be conducted using the Personal Independence Payment assessment system.
The Government has consistently avoided answering queries regarding this significant overhaul of financial support assessments for health conditions, stating: “This change will be non-negotiable.”
“We will implement this change via primary legislation. Further details will be published in the forthcoming White Paper. We are not consulting on this measure.”
It’s estimated that around three million people in the UK are receiving some form of sickness or disability benefit, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Universal Credit. Over the past five years, government expenditure on incapacity benefits has surged by approximately £19 billion.
The Secretary for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Kendall, argued in parliament that the current system is “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back.”
The Benefits and Work advocacy group has highlighted other contentious changes that the public hasn’t been consulted on. These include freezing payments for the health component of Universal Credit, continuing Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reassessments before they’re phased out, and introducing stricter criteria to qualify for the daily living component of PIP.
The group also criticised the consultation process, claiming it asks leading questions rather than seeking crucial feedback on the extensive changes to DWP benefits. For instance, instead of asking for opinions on the change in PIP policy, the consultation question is framed as: “How could we improve the experience of the health and care system for people who are claiming Personal Independence Payment who would lose entitlement?”
Labour’s newly unveiled Green Paper, titled ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’, outlines several key measures. These include a shift towards more in-person health and sickness assessments, rather than relying on phone calls or written forms.
Additionally, claimants will need to score a minimum of four points in the daily living component of the assessment to qualify for higher payments. Furthermore, individuals under the age of 22 will no longer be eligible to claim the health element of Universal Credit.
Mikey Erhardt, Policy Officer at Disability Rights UK, expressed strong criticism of the proposed reforms, stating: “The minister stood up today and made clear that, after months of rumours, media speculation and spin, these reforms are not about supporting Disabled people into work, but making brutal and reckless cuts of £5 billion. That is up from £3 billion just a few weeks ago.
“The rise in claims is driven by the increase in the retirement age, record NHS waiting lists, inadequate education and mental health support for young Disabled people and a complete failure to tackle the disability employment and pay gaps. Yet the government has decided to create a rhetorical smokescreen around the depth of cuts it’s going to make.
“The government intends to bar young Disabled people from receiving the Universal Credit health component until they are 22. That is alongside their promise to significantly increase assessments at scale without making the assessment process safer for those going through the system right now. These measures mark dangerous cuts for all Disabled people. Furthermore, altering the PIP award criteria will make it harder for those who need support to qualify.
“The minister’s assertion that 1000s more face-to-face assessments will be more accurate is laughable; we know that in-person assessment causes more stress and worry and often leads to inaccurate findings from assessors.
“Let’s be clear: there is nothing ambitious about cutting support from those who need it and that’s what today’s announcements were really about. Rising claims for personal independence payment reflect not a problem with Disabled people but rather reflect successive government’s failure to do even the bare minimum to create a more equitable society.”
