PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Personal Independence Payment (24 June 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people that are eligible for the higher rate of personal independence payment as a result of the changes to the personal independence payment assessment guide issued on 17 June 2019.

Asked by:
Marsha De Cordova (Labour)

On 17 June 2019 the Department published an updated Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Guide. The updates included changes to the guidance on PIP activity 3 to reflect that help required for a special diet can constitute therapy in certain circumstances. This is in line with the LB Upper Tribunal decision, handed down in November 2016. The Department expects only a small number of claimants to benefit from these changes.

The updates also included changes to give greater clarity on the duration of awards to ensure claimants are given the right award length, and on the number of companions at PIP assessments, as well as other minor updates.

Answered by:
Justin Tomlinson (Conservative)
2 July 2019