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Personal Independence Payment: Disabled People
07 May 2025
Lead MP
Diane Abbott
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Lab
Responding Minister
Sir Stephen Timms
Tags
Taxation
Word Count: 13138
Other Contributors: 33
At a Glance
Diane Abbott raised concerns about personal independence payment: disabled people in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The lead MP calls for an equality impact assessment before implementing the proposed welfare cuts, as it is concerning how these come on top of the cut to winter fuel allowance and the failure to raise the child benefit ceiling.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The Chancellor of the Exchequer raised a series of welfare cuts in her spring statement, including cutting the health element of universal credit by 50% for new claimants. The Office for Budget Responsibility has outlined that these planned cuts will reduce PIP for at least 800,000 claimants and cut health-related universal credit payments for 3 million families.
Adam Dance
LD
Yeovil
In Yeovil, 7.9% of working-age adults claim PIP; the proposals may result in rising child poverty and under-investment in social care, which cannot be used to reduce the welfare bill meaningfully.
Adrian Ramsay
Green
Waveney Valley
Mr Ramsay thanked the right hon. Member for highlighting the real human impact of these cuts and emphasised that asking the very wealthiest in society to pay more would be the moral thing to do.
Andy McDonald
Lab
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Asked questions regarding the impact of proposed changes on constituents with estimates suggesting only 1% to 3% may gain employment, leaving many worse off.
Ann Davies
PC
Caerfyrddin
Wales stands to lose £4.5 billion from restricting PIP eligibility, with Carmarthenshire alone facing a loss of over £17 million and nearly 4,000 people losing eligibility.
Anna Dixon
Lab
Shipley
Asked the Minister about a case where someone with a neurodegenerative disease currently scores only two points and would be penalised under tightening restrictions.
Ayoub Khan
Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
Suggests that an equality impact assessment needs to be conducted now due to the anxiety caused by benefit suspensions, rather than cutting £5 billion in the future. Emphasised that PIP is a vital lifeline for those living with disabilities and cutting support strips away independence and dignity.
Clapham and Brixton Hill
Ms Ribeiro-Addy asked if the right hon. Member shared concerns that 300,000 people will be pushed into relative poverty by 1 million disabled people using food banks last year due to cuts in PIP. The proposed cuts will push people further into poverty without evidence of increasing employment, making people sicker and more reliant on the NHS. A 2% tax on wealth above £10 million could raise £24 billion a year.
Carla Denyer
Green
Bristol Central
Ms Denyer thanked the right hon. Member and drew attention to figures from PCS Union about members working in DWP claiming benefits themselves, further underlining that cutting PIP will punish sick and disabled people.
Cat Eccles
Lab
Stourbridge
Conservative-run Dudley council has made £42 million worth of cuts, including services for carers and mental health. The Green Paper's suggestion to support disabled people in retraining is patronising; they already have qualifications and careers.
Chris Bloore
Lab
Redditch
He discusses the disproportionate impact of cost-of-living crisis on households with a disabled inhabitant, noting that 307,000 PIP recipients used food banks in the past year.
Clive Jones
LD
Wokingham
Young people battling cancer are forced to wait up to eight months for PIP, incurring additional costs of £5,000. He calls on the Minister to scrap arbitrary wait times and ensure medical diagnoses alone suffice for eligibility.
Daniel Francis
Lab
Bexleyheath and Crayford
As a parent carer, he requests a detailed impact assessment on the carers community and asks for cross-Government departmental strategy proposals to support disabled people accessing work.
Hendon
A strong social security system is essential but needs reforms to ensure sustainability, with health conditions becoming more widespread following the pandemic and a significant increase in PIP recipients.
Debbie Abrahams
Lab
Oldham East and Saddleworth
The report published on Friday shows an average loss of £269 per working adult in northern areas; Oldham East and Saddleworth will lose £15 million a year, impacting the local economy significantly.
West Dorset
Barbara, a constituent with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, fears losing her PIP support which helps fund vital equipment and care. Her case exemplifies the terror of potential changes for disabled people in West Dorset.
Ian Byrne
Lab
Liverpool West Derby
A citizens' assembly in his constituency showed unanimous opposition to the cuts, with fears that they will drive 250,000 more people into poverty and deeper deprivation. The Labour party was formed to protect those most vulnerable.
Ian Lavery
Lab
Blyth and Ashington
He criticises the Government's proposals, stating that no MP was elected to make people poorer. He mentions having 10,467 residents dependent on PIP in his constituency. Asked Mr Kruger how much His Majesty’s Opposition propose to cut from the welfare bill, highlighting the need for precise plans.
Inquired about the immediate effect of changes to PIP eligibility.
Chichester
Shared concerns of constituents affected by proposed changes to PIP, highlighting cases like Robert's son Richard with functional neurological disorder and James who relies on PIP for mental health support. Susan highlighted the risk of losing support leading to financial distress.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Compliments the right hon. Lady for securing this debate and highlights that PIP is a lifeline for maintaining people’s wellness and independence, suggesting that today's Minister must give many answers and change the policy. The proposed changes could result in some existing claimants no longer meeting the eligibility requirement, impacting them severely. Parkinson’s UK told him that degenerative conditions incur extra costs of more than £7,500 a year.
Lizzi Collinge
Lab
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Discussed evidence showing that cutting benefits leads to increased reliance on NHS services, citing a £7.7 million cost for 2,500 people with MS who lost higher rate of DLA in 2013.
Stratford-on-Avon
Supported the argument for reforming the benefits system with compassion and highlighted concerns about the impact of welfare reforms on employment.
Adnan Hussain
Ind
Blackburn
Mr Hussain mentioned meeting furious constituents outraged by the cuts and joined the right hon. Member in condemning these cold-hearted and cruel cuts that leave people fearing they cannot heat their homes or eat.
Slough
Agrees with the right hon. Friend that it is the moral duty of this Government to protect the most vulnerable so they can lead a dignified and independent life.
Nadia Whittome
Lab
Nottingham East
The proposed cuts mean more poverty and hardship for disabled people; many feel suicidal if they lose PIP support. The benefits system has already been a factor in the deaths of disabled people.
Rachael Maskell
Lab/Co-op
York Central
People face immense challenges, pain, and costs due to PIP restrictions. She will vote against these cuts because they harm the dignity of disabled people.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
The proposals are immoral as they will leave someone needing assistance with basic tasks without PIP support, affecting up to 1.3 million people according to recent figures. He vows to vote against the cuts.
Shockat Adam
Ind
Leicester South
Highlights that Leicester city council counts PIP as income and reduces council tax support for those applying for it, causing constituents to be £900 worse off.
Torbay
Discussed the importance of PIP in supporting disabled individuals and their independence, highlighting the case study of a blind gentleman from Portsmouth and a young lady with mental health challenges. Also mentioned that 8,592 people in Torbay claim PIP.
Steve Witherden
Lab
Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr
The proposed cuts hit post-industrial areas particularly hard, with Wales already having the highest poverty rates among disabled people in the UK. The welfare system must support people when they need it most.
Tessa Munt
LD
Wells and Mendip Hills
Expressed concern about the impact on people suffering from ME and long covid, pointing out that PIP does not accommodate their disability well, unlike the work capability assessment.
Tony Vaughan
Lab
Folkestone and Hythe
He agrees with the need for welfare reform but expresses concern about proposed tightening of PIP eligibility criteria, highlighting the case of a constituent who may lose support due to reforms.
Warinder Juss
Lab
Wolverhampton West
Mr Juss mentioned a constituent with two sons suffering from cystic fibrosis who rely on high-cost diets, medication, and loss of income as a carer. He agreed that PIP should provide support for individuals like his constituent’s children.
Government Response
Sir Stephen Timms
The Minister for Social Security and Disability
Government Response
Mr Sir Stephen Timms outlined three key objectives in his response: providing tailored employment support with a £1 billion funding commitment by the end of the Parliament, removing disincentives to work left behind by previous reforms, and making the costs of Personal Independence Payment sustainable. He acknowledged that the real-terms cost of PIP has almost doubled from £12 billion to £22 billion since before the pandemic and emphasised the need for funding sustainability. Addressed concerns over increasing claims and outlined plans for consultations, including improving trust in assessments through reviewing safeguarding practices, recording assessments as standard, and moving back to face-to-face assessments. Noted that the changes will take effect from November 2026 and will not affect those above state pension age until their first award review after that date.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.