Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55944, what steps her Department plans to take to support people with complex and overlapping health conditions who are subject to the current PIP assessment criteria before the reforms proposed in her Department's Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work, last updated on 18 June 2025, are implemented.

We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that changes will be made to the eligibility criteria for the daily living component of PIP. Claimants will need to score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity. This change does not alter the Department’s approach to supporting vulnerable claimants or those with complex needs through the assessment process.

We are exploring ways to improve the experience of people using the health and disability benefit system. This includes digitalising the transfer of medical information using evidence from other services to reduce the need for functional assessments for those with very severe conditions, and improving communication with claimants who are expected to remind on disability for life.

We have also launched a comprehensive review of the PIP assessment process, which I am leading. Through the review, we want to make sure the PIP assessment is fit for the future. We are currently in the first phase of this work, engaging with disabled people, organisations who support them and other experts to shape the scope, timings and approach. This will inform development of the Terms of Reference which will be published as soon as they are drawn up.