Personal Independence Payment: Cancer

(asked on 29th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of reported delays to personal independence payments for people living with cancer.


Answered by
Chloe Smith Portrait
Chloe Smith
This question was answered on 31st March 2022

Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. People with the same condition or impairment can have very different daily living or mobility needs. New claims from claimants who are terminally ill are currently being cleared in an average of three days.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through PIP in a timely manner.  Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service, including using a blend of phone, video and fact-to-face assessments to deliver a more efficient and user-centred process.  We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant.

Reticulating Splines