Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reforms to Personal Independence Payment outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper on people aged under 25 with cancer.

Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc) under 16 and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for young people from age 16 are assessed based on the additional care/daily living and mobility needs arising from a long-term disability or health condition, rather than a diagnosis of a condition or disability itself.

Applications under the special rules for end of life, where life expectancy is 12 months or less, are unaffected by the planned eligibility changes to PIP to introduce a new requirement to score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity. Claims are fast tracked, and the person is eligible for the higher-rate care/daily living component from the date of claim.

For your reassurance, there will be no immediate changes to PIP eligibility. Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met.

We are also consulting on raising the age at which young people move from DLAc to PIP, to better align with other key milestones in the transition to adulthood and support available.