Letter dated 20th May 2024
Dear Dr Armstrong,
Thank you for your letter of 1 May to the Secretary of State about the proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payments (PIP). I am replying as the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to write in raising this issue. I write to you with the latest update and I hope you will find the following comments to be helpful.
In the decade since Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced in 2013, the nature of health and disability has changed. Many more people are applying for PIP with mental health conditions than when it was first introduced. We need to ensure the benefit reflects this change in caseload.
We believe that it is the right time to look again at ensuring Government support for people with long-term health conditions and disabilities is focused where it is most needed. We also believe there may be better ways of supporting people to live independent and fulfilling lives whilst also ensuring that the system is fair to the taxpayer. We want to
understand whether there are other forms of support that may be more suitable for everyone, including people with mental health conditions.
We are looking at different options to reshape the current welfare system so that we can provide better targeted support to those who need it most. We are considering some of these options through our 12-week consultation which was published on Monday 29 April and will close on Monday 22 July at 11:59pm.
We encourage you to respond to the consultation, which can be found via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper so that we are able to hear from as many disabled people, people with health conditions, their representatives, and local stakeholders as possible on these important issues.
Mims Davies MP
Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work
