PM launches consultation on personal independence payment amid ‘spiralling’ disability welfare bill
Rishi Sunak has announced fresh curbs on disability benefits, saying he wants to explore whether some cash payments to claimants suffering from mental health conditions could be replaced by treatment or access to services.
In a speech on welfare, the prime minister said he was launching a consultation on the personal independence payment (Pip), a non-means-tested benefit paid to disabled people to help deal with the extra living costs caused by long-term disability or ill health.
Shifting responsibility for issuing “fit notes” away from GPs to other “work and health professionals” in order to encourage more people to get back into work.
Confirming plans to legislate “in the next parliament” to close benefit claims for anyone who has been claiming for 12 months but is not complying with conditions on accepting available work.
Asking more people on universal credit to look for more work by increasing the earnings threshold from £743 a week to £892 a week, so people paid below this amount have to seek extra hours.
Confirming plans to tighten the work capability assessment to require more people with “less severe conditions” to seek some forms of employment.
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