Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis
(asked on 12th June 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of PIP decisions for people with MS have been overturned on appeal in the last five years, by region.
For the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) New Claim and DLA reassessment decisions, for claimants with MS as main medical condition, overturned at appeal stage by region for the last five Financial Years, see Table 1 below.
Table 1: the percentage of PIP New Claim and DLA reassessment decisions, for claimants with MS as main medical condition, overturned at appeal stage by region for the last five Financial Years
Region of Initial New Claim or DLA reassessment decision | Financial Year of Initial Decision | ||||
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
East Midlands | 9% | 6% | 10% | 6% | 6% |
East of England | 6% | 6% | 8% | 9% | 5% |
London | 9% | 7% | 10% | 8% | 5% |
North East | 5% | 3% | 8% | 6% | 6% |
North West | 7% | 8% | 8% | 11% | 6% |
South East | 7% | 7% | 8% | 9% | 4% |
South West | 7% | 7% | 11% | 8% | 4% |
West Midlands | 7% | 3% | 5% | 10% | 6% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 8% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 6% |
Total England | 7% | 6% | 8% | 8% | 5% |
Wales | 8% | 3% | 12% | 7% | 7% |
For the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Award Review and Change of Circumstances decisions, for claimants with MS as main medical condition, overturned at appeal stage by region for the last five Financial Years, see Table 2 below.
Table 2: the percentage of PIP Award Review and Change of Circumstances decisions, for claimants with MS as main medical condition, overturned at appeal stage by region for the last five Financial Years
Region of Initial Award Review and Change of Circumstances decision | Financial Year of Initial Decision | ||||
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
East Midlands | 4% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 5% |
East of England | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
London | 6% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 5% |
North East | 3% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% |
North West | 3% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
South East | 5% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 4% |
South West | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
West Midlands | 5% | 3% | 1% | 4% | 6% |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 3% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 4% |
Total England | 4% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 4% |
Wales | 4% | 2% | 2% | 5% | 4% |
Source(s): PIP Administrative Data
Notes:
- Figures for England and Wales only.
- Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
- These figures include appeal clearances and decisions for PIP New Claims, Reassessments, Award Reviews and Change of Circumstances. These figures include appeals cleared from April 2019 to December 2024, in line with latest PIP statistics Personal Independence Payment: Clearance/Outstanding Times and Customer Journey Statistics to January 2025, England & Wales (XLS).
- Appeals data has been taken from DWP PIP customer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.
- This data is unpublished data. It should be used with caution, and it may be subject to future revision.
- Figures include appeals overturns following tribunal hearing and lapsed appeals.
- A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing.
- An overturned appeal is where the decision was changed in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged and was heard at tribunal hearing.
- Appeals can have their decision upheld or may also be withdrawn by the claimant. These are not included in the above tables.