Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of Personal Independent Payments in England scored more than 12 points for the daily living elements but did not score more than four in any single criteria in the most recent reporting year.

The volume of Personal Independence Payment claimants in England who scored fewer than four points in all daily living activities but scored a total of 8 – 11 (inclusive) points for their daily living activities was 1,039,150. The volume who scored fewer than four points in all daily living activities but scored a total of 12 points or higher for their daily living activities was 184,780.

A breakdown of the volume of PIP claimants in England who scored fewer than 4 points in all daily living activities by their total daily living activity point scores is provided in the table below.

The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who did not score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment as conditions change over time.

No one will lose access to PIP immediately - and most people will not lose access at all. Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval and will only apply at a claimant’s next scheduled award review, which on average occurs every three years. At that point, a claimant will be reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional based on their individual needs and circumstances.

After accounting for behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 out of 10 PIP recipients at the time of policy implementation are expected to be unaffected by the PIP 4-point change in 2029/30. Despite the reforms, the overall number of people on PIP and DLA is expected to increase by 750,000 by the end of this Parliament and spending is projected to rise from £23 billion in 2024/25 to £31 billion in 2029/30.

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 have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Notes:

- The volumes provided are rounded to the nearest 1,000.

- Where a value above 0 has been rounded down to below 1,000, a “-“ has been used.

- The volumes provided exclude claimants over State Pension age and Special Rules for End of Life claimants.