The Timms review will determine the future of Personal Independence Payments
An update has been issued on the future of Personal Independence Payments (PIP). The funds are a major Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disability benefit aiding around 3.7 million people.
The Timms review, led by Sir Stephen Timms, the minister for social security and disability within the DWP, is set to shape the future direction of PIP. Officials say the review will be developed in collaboration with disabled people and other key stakeholders.
Now the government has shed light on who these stakeholder groups could be in the review process. In response to written questions in parliament, Timms outlined the involvement of unpaid carers and veterans in the review.
He said: “The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard.
“This will include carers’ organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard.”
Timms also detailed the timeline of the review, noting: “We are committed to concluding the review by Autumn 2026 and reporting outcomes to the House in a ministerial Oral Statement. We have committed to a general debate on this, in Government time. Any legislation to implement the outcomes of the review will not be brought forward until that has happened.”
However, when another MP asked whether veterans would be consulted within the review’s remit, Timms only confirmed that the Office for Veterans’ Affairs would be briefed on any progress throughout the review process. He noted: “My officials will work with their counterparts in the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to ensure they are kept informed of the Timms Review, and its deliberations, as the review progresses in the coming year.
“Veterans, depending on their needs, can access a variety of support including PIP, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), the Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP), and the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP). No changes are proposed to the Armed Forces Independence Payments.
“The government is committed to ensuring that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means tested cash benefit which is there for people, now and into the future.
“That is why we have launched a wider review of the PIP assessment as a whole, to make sure it is fair and fit for the future in a changing world and helps support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence.”
The Timms review is scheduled to wrap up in autumn 2026, with a parliamentary debate planned on its findings. The review is meant to consider a number of vital PIP aspects such as:
- Role of the assessment
- Assessment criteria
- If other evidence could be provided by claimants
- How the system could provide more fair access and the correct support
- The assessment’s role in unlocking wider support
The outcome of the review could lead to changes in legislation around PIP as well as other steps.
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