New analysis from the New Economics Basis (NEF) has challenged the Authorities’s justification for slicing incapacity advantages, discovering that monetary hardship is driving the rise in claims fairly than inappropriate purposes.
Labour not too long ago proposed slicing incapacity advantages, arguing that the rise in folks claiming was double the rise within the variety of disabled folks, suggesting assist was going to folks it was not meant for.
Nevertheless, NEF evaluation revealed forward of a parliamentary debate on Private Independence Cost (PIP) reforms has discovered proof contradicting this justification, indicating that the profit is working as meant regardless of plans to limit entry.
The NEF analysis reveals that solely 46 per cent of disabled folks declare PIP, in comparison with 40 per cent earlier than the pandemic. Researchers discovered that regardless of extra purposes, the speed of profitable PIP claims has remained regular at round 50 per cent because the pandemic.
In line with the suppose tank, this consistency signifies the incapacity profit continues to be going to the “right” folks, contradicting Authorities recommendations that the system is being misused.
The findings come because the Authorities plans to introduce tighter eligibility necessities for PIP from November 2026, together with a minimal factors threshold for every day residing actions.
Moreover, an evaluation additionally discovered that realizing the speed of deprivation in a area and the variety of disabled folks residing there allowed researchers to foretell the speed of PIP funds with 94 per cent accuracy.
This robust correlation suggests two major components are driving the rise in incapacity advantages: a rise within the variety of disabled folks eligible for assist and rising deprivation forcing these beforehand not claiming to hunt further monetary assist.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the adjustments to incapacity advantages throughout her Autumn Funds final 12 months
PA
Quite than indicating misuse of the system, the NEF analysis suggests PIP is functioning as meant, offering assist to these dealing with real want attributable to incapacity and monetary hardship.
Senior economist Max Mosley from the NEF warned: “Our evaluation means that PIP goes to precisely the type of folks it’s meant to assist, however that larger charges of incapacity and monetary hardship are driving extra folks to assert.
“The Government’s plans to restrict access to PIP will lead to hundreds of thousands of disabled people missing out on support they very much need.”
He added that the proposed cuts “could well prove to be as politically toxic for the government as cutting the Winter Fuel Payment”.
Alongside the reforms to PIP, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the as much as £300 in power invoice assist for pensioners would now be means-tested after beforehand being common.
As such, older households now should be in receipt of Pension Credit score, a top-up profit for these of state pension which is run by the DWP.
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Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has proposed these alterations to chop the PIP price range by £5 billionPAThe federal government plans to implement these PIP adjustments from November 2026, introducing a requirement that claimants rating a minimal of 4 factors in at the least one every day residing exercise to be eligible for the every day residing element.
The reforms purpose to focus PIP on these with the very best wants, probably impacting these with decrease every day residing wants.
Current claimants will face reassessments underneath the brand new standards, with these now not assembly the necessities set to lose their funds.
