The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has avoided answering questions about whether cash payments of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be replaced by vouchers, a proposal put forward by the Conservatives in a consultation paper last year. Edward Morello, Liberal Democrat MP, submitted four written questions on PIP reforms earlier this month, all of which received the same response from Minister for Social Security and Disabilities, Sir Stephen Timms.
The Lib Dem MP for West Dorset posed questions related to the forthcoming DWP Green Paper, set to be published before the Spring Statement in March. However, when asked if any assessment had been made of the “potential impact of replacing Personal Independence Payment cash payments with vouchers on claimants’ autonomy and financial management”, Sir Stephen did not provide a direct answer.
Mr Morello also queried DWP if any evaluation has been conducted on: Sir Stephen did not address any of the questions raised, but in a written reply, stated: “This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do.
“We are committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible. The system must also work to support disabled people to live independently. It is also vital to ensure that the system is financially sustainable in the long term. We are working to develop proposals for reform in the months ahead and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement later this year,” he said, reports the Daily Record.
In June 2024, the then-Conservative government unveiled their welfare reform strategy within the ‘Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper’. This plan sought to slash £12 billion annually from the welfare budget by 2030, with strategies including the replacement of cash Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits, which could amount up to £737.20 every four weeks, with alternatives such as vouchers, one-time grants, a scheme based on receipts, or the option to select assistive products from a catalogue.
However, after Labour’s victory in the general election on July 4, these proposals were abandoned. Despite this, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) continues its pursuit to reform the health and disability benefits system, promising to engage with disability groups for input and issue a consultation on prospective amendments.