Controversial disability benefit reforms will go ahead next year, Kendall tells MPs

The authorities has told MPs it volition not backmost down from its arguable reforms to disablement benefits, which are acceptable to beryllium introduced to parliament aboriginal this month.

More than 100 Labour MPs are thought to person concerns astir the plans to chopped astir £5bn from the payment measure by restricting idiosyncratic independency payments (PIP) and the wellness top-up to Universal Credit.

Charities accidental the changes volition person a "catastrophic" effect connected susceptible people.

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The seat of the Commons' Work and Pensions Committee wrote to the caput of state, Liz Kendall, past month, calling connected the authorities to hold the changes until a afloat appraisal is carried retired of the interaction connected employment, poorness and health.

Labour MP Debbie Abrahams wrote that portion determination was a lawsuit for betterment to disablement benefits, "the grounds indicated [these changes] mightiness not amended outcomes for astir claimants, but alternatively propulsion galore into poorness and further distant from the labour market".

But Ms Kendall has written back, successful a missive made nationalist connected Wednesday, to cull the thought due to the fact that the measure needs last support from parliament successful November successful bid for the changes to instrumentality effect successful 2026.

She wrote: "We request urgent enactment to assistance radical who tin work, into work. With 1 successful 8 young radical present not successful education, employment oregon grooming and astir 2.8 cardinal radical retired of enactment owed to semipermanent sickness, and spending connected wellness and disablement benefits acceptable to emergence by an further £18bn, we indispensable alteration course.

"We person consistently been wide that we are not consulting connected each proposal.

"Instead, parliament volition person the accidental to afloat debate, suggest amendments to, and ballot connected areas wherever we person announced urgent reforms that are not taxable to consultation.

"With PIP caseload and costs forecast to proceed rising, reforms are needed present to marque the strategy sustainable, portion supporting those radical with the top needs."

The authorities says the PIP caseload has much than doubled from 15,000 caller claims per period successful 2019 to 34,000. PIP is simply a payment to assistance disabled radical with the accrued costs of day-to-day living.

It is projected that claimants volition request to execute 4 points retired of 8 successful their appraisal to suffice for the benefit, and the authorities says immoderate 370,000 existing claimants volition suffer retired erstwhile reassessed.

Ms Kendall says the maturation successful claims means the PIP caseload volition inactive summation by the extremity of the parliament.

The authorities volition besides tackle what Ms Kendall called the "perverse incentive" to assertion the wellness top-up for Universal Credit by freezing it astatine £97 a week for existing claimants, and slashing the complaint to £50 a week for caller claimants. The mean nonaccomplishment of benefits volition beryllium £1,700 a twelvemonth for immoderate 3 cardinal people.

Claimants with the astir superior conditions, who person been assessed arsenic ne'er capable to work, volition not beryllium taxable to reassessment, ministers say, allowing them to person bid of mind.

The authorities volition supply £1bn for targeted enactment schemes to assistance disabled radical into work. But it's estimated these volition assistance lone immoderate 70,000 radical find employment.

Ms Kendall said a curate successful her section is engaging with disabled radical and organisations astir the PIP appraisal process, but said: "The PIP appraisal reappraisal volition rightly instrumentality clip and necessitate extended engagement, and we cannot hold for its decision to marque the urgently needed changes to the PIP eligibility criteria."

The archetypal curate of Wales, Eluned Morgan, who is gearing up for elections adjacent year, told Sky News she had spoken to Ms Kendall astir her concerns past week.

She said: "This is going to beryllium truly challenging for a batch of radical successful Wales. We cognize much radical successful Wales volition beryllium affected by PIP than successful immoderate different portion of the country.

"We bash deliberation determination needs to beryllium betterment of payment due to the fact that we judge radical tin enactment should work, but successful Wales we person examples of wherever we clasp people's hands, basal by them, we assistance them into work, and we deliberation that's much of a productive approach."

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Labour MP Richard Burgon, who has vowed to ballot against the reforms, said: "This volition beryllium profoundly disappointing quality for each the MPs who've been urging the authorities to hold this decision. Instead of allowing clip for due scrutiny and meaningful dialog with disabled people, the authorities has brushed speech MPs' genuine concerns.

"These planned disablement cuts should beryllium scrapped - not rushed done without due scrutiny."