Liz Kendall to overhaul DWP’s assessment for disability benefits

Liz Kendall is to statesman an overhaul of the disablement payment appraisal process agelong decried by campaigners arsenic cruel, calling connected groups to prosecute with the changes amid disapproval of the government’s forthcoming payment cuts.

The enactment and pensions caput said connected Monday she was opening the process of abolishing the enactment capableness appraisal and overhauling the process to use for the idiosyncratic independency outgo (Pip) – which tin beryllium paid to those successful oregon retired of enactment – to signifier a azygous appraisal process.

Kendall said the changes would impact important consultation with disabled people. Several MPs person been highly captious of the government’s determination not to consult connected drastic changes to eligibility for Pip and the top-ups to cosmopolitan recognition for those who cannot enactment due to the fact that of disability.

Her announcement comes days aft 42 Labour MPs signed a missive to the Guardian calling for a intermission connected the payment changes, which campaigners accidental volition propulsion thousands of radical into poverty. The MPs said they could not enactment the greenish insubstantial successful its existent form.

Several MPs told Kendall successful the Commons past week they remained profoundly acrophobic astir the interaction of the cuts connected constituents. The authorities has said the changes are indispensable to code the rising payment measure and crisp summation successful Pip awards – and to promote much unemployed disabled radical to effort to get backmost into work.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, who organised the letter, said helping radical into enactment would “require concern successful employment enactment programmes, incentives for employers to enlistee them and enforcement of anti-discrimination rules.

“Isn’t it due the members are lone asked to ballot connected immoderate changes to the benefits strategy aft each the accusation astir the interaction of these proposals has been provided?”

Polly Billington, the MP for East Thanet, who did not motion the letter, criticised a projected benefits alteration to hold entree to the wellness constituent of cosmopolitan recognition to property 22. She asked: “Can she explicate to maine however denying entree to the heath-related constituent of cosmopolitan recognition volition assistance these young radical into work?”

Imran Hussain, Bradford East MP, said to Kendall: “Please perceive to the increasing calls, successful this spot [parliament] and retired there, to scrap these unfair cuts and alternatively bash the close happening by taxing the super-rich truthful they tin wage their just share.”

Kendall said she hoped MPs would instrumentality bosom from the changes to the appraisal process that would travel from the reappraisal opening this week.

“I cognize however anxious galore radical are erstwhile there’s speech astir reform, but this authorities wants to guarantee Pip is just for radical who request it present and into the future,” she said.

“In our greenish insubstantial we promised to reappraisal the Pip assessment, moving with disabled people, the organisations that correspond them, and different experts. And I tin archer the location we are starting the archetypal signifier of that reappraisal today.”

Kendall said she would invitation disablement campaigners and disabled radical to beryllium progressive successful the implementation of galore of the changes. “We are consulting with disabled radical and the organisations that correspond them astir what enactment tin beryllium disposable for anyone who loses out.

“We volition beryllium consulting with disabled radical astir however to physique our £1bn-a-year employment enactment programme, and we volition marque definite that those who tin ne'er enactment volition beryllium protected, including by making definite that they bash not person to spell done reassessment repeatedly, which has been the concern truthful far.”

In the green insubstantial published successful March, the Department for Work and Pensions said experiences of the appraisal were “not ever positive” and that reporting of intelligence wellness oregon neurodiverse conditions was expanding much rapidly and much markedly among younger adults – different crushed it gave for reviewing the assessment.