It’s been revealed by a leading disability news outlet that the previous Conservative government tried to bury a damning report into the DWP PIP system and its failings. We only know this thanks to the tenacity of one journalist. However, the issue raises further questions about the approach of the now-Labour Party government.
DWP PIP reforms: burying bad news
In January 2024, Conservative ministers chose to withhold a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) report that highlighted significant issues within the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system. This decision occurred just days before the release of a green paper proposing substantial changes to it.
We only know this information thanks to John Pring at Disability News Service (DNS). As Pring wrote:
DNS has obtained copies of emails exchanged last year between ministers and advisers, which show how the minister for disabled people, Mims Davies (pictured above, left), was asked to approve the publication of four Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) research reports in January 2024.
The unreleased report contained testimonies from disabled individuals who had undergone PIP assessments and received zero points, rendering them ineligible for support. One participant, diagnosed with ME and confined to bed for all but half an hour daily, described the assessment process as dismissive, noting that attempts to elaborate on his condition were abruptly halted.
Such experiences left claimants feeling “broken,” “numb,” and “fuming.”
Internal emails obtained through Pring’s freedom of information request revealed that on 29 January 2024, minister for disabled people Mims Davies was asked to approve the publication of four DWP research reports. This included the critical PIP study.
A response on 8 February suggested delaying its release due to ongoing policy development. It cautioned that publication could “set hares running.” The final decision to withhold the report was made on 24 April, just five days before the green paper’s publication.
On 29 April 2024, work and pensions secretary Mel Stride introduced the “Modernising Support for Independent Living” green paper. In this, the government expressed concerns over rising PIP expenditures. It also questioned the benefit’s value.
The paper proposed making it more challenging to claim PIP and suggested replacing cash payments with vouchers or one-off grants, a move described by campaigners as a “brutal, ideological attack” on disabled people’s support.
Deliberate timings all round
The timing of these events indicates a deliberate effort by ministers to suppress evidence of the PIP system’s deficiencies. It would have laid cover for advancing policies that could further restrict support for chronically ill and disabled people.
The news comes as the DWP lost a court case over ex-Tory ministers’ reforms to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Concerningly, the Labour government has already indicated it may go ahead with the changes, regardless.
Featured image via the Canary
