Plan to freeze PIP disability benefits may be dropped
BBC News Political Correspondent
EPAThe BBC learned that ministers are considering abandoning plans to freeze some disability benefits.
Initial reports suggest that individual independent payments (PIPs) will be inconsistent with inflation for a year, but many usually loyal MPs expressed strong opposition at the 10th meeting and partisan whip and ministers.
As the government tries to cut billions of pounds from the welfare budget, tightening of the PIP eligibility criteria will be possible, but abandoning the freeze may avoid potentially harming votes in the House of Commons.
Work and Pension Minister Liz Kendall will list details of the reforms in the Green Book next week.
Prime Minister Rachel Reeves will then reveal the full scale of the reduction in welfare spending in a spring statement on March 26, which is expected to be between £5 billion and £6 billion.
She said Friday The government needs to “catch it” In the welfare bill, it is said that the system does not apply to taxpayers or recipients.
Total expenditure on health and disability benefits is expected to increase from £64.7 billion in 2023-24 to £100.7 billion in 2029-30. According to the Office of Budget Responsibility, the biggest contribution of this increase is from welfare expenditure expenditures.
The second single element of the Working Age Benefits Act is PIP.
In 2023-24, PIP totaled £18 billion, and by 2029-30, that figure is expected to almost double to £34 billion. This means the number of claimants has increased from 2.7 million to 4.2 million.
Since Labour holds a major community majority, freezing of PIP may pass a vote, but internal departments will be emphasized.
Sources told the BBC that measures to be announced are still difficult and that restricting those who qualify for PIP may involve certain workforce members of MPs.
Sources said that even with stricter eligibility measures, spending on PIP will still rise, but not as fast as other forecasts.
PIP is designed to provide additional cost of living for people with long-term or mental health conditions. Some recipients are working and believe it provides basic support to enable them to remain employed. But it is also attributed to those who are severely disabled and unable to work.
Many MPs have broad support for welfare reforms told the BBC that they have promised that people with severe disabilities will not expect to work or lose their rights to welfare.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Work and Pensions said: “We are already well aware that the current welfare system has been undermined and needs reform, so it can help long-term patients and disabled people who can work to find employment and ensure people get the support they need while being fair to taxpayers.
“Although many people want to work, if there is no reform, more people will be tied up from work. This is not only bad for the economy, but also harmful to people.”
