Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include addressing systemic and administrative challenges, such as fluctuating conditions, assessment quality, appeal outcomes and interaction with health services, within the scope of the terms of reference for the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment.

The Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, to ensure that expertise from a wide range of perspectives is drawn upon.

On 30 October, the Government published revised Terms of Reference on GOV.UK which set out further details about its scope. The Review will include consideration of:

• the role of PIP – as the future single gateway to health-related and disability benefits – in enabling disabled people and those with long-term conditions to live independently and fully participate in society
• the assessment criteria – including activities, descriptors and associated points – to consider whether these effectively capture the impact of long-term health conditions and disability in the modern world. The Review will consider both the Daily Living and Mobility elements of PIP
• whether any other evidence should be considered alongside the functional assessment to fairly reflect the impact of living with a long-term health condition or disability, including related to an individual’s personal circumstances and environment
• how the PIP assessment could provide fair access to the right support at the right level across the benefits system
• what role the assessment could and should play in unlocking wider support to better achieve higher living standards and greater independence

We also announced that the Review will be co-chaired by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Stephen Timms, alongside Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. They will oversee a steering group responsible for leading the co-production process, setting the Review's strategic direction, priorities and workplan. The group will be made up of a majority of disabled people or representatives of disabled people's organisations and will be recruited through an open and transparent Expression of Interest process.