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 tightening the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment on the ability of disabled people to afford their costs.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a contribution to the extra costs of being disabled. We have set out plans to introduce a new eligibility requirement in PIP so that people must score a minimum of four points in one daily living activity in PIP to be eligible for the daily living component.

We are mindful of the impact of this change, as such, in the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

Information on the impacts of tightening the eligibility criteria will be published in due course. A further programme of analysis to support development of the measure will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.