Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of people currently receiving the enhanced mobility rate of Personal Independence Payment who will not be entitled to receive any mobility rate following their next reassessment, following changes brought forward in the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) (Amendment) Regulations 2017; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that change on those individuals.
No Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants will see a reduction in the amount of PIP previously awarded by the Department for Work and Pensions as a result of the regulations being introduced, including the point at which their claim is next reviewed.
We are aware of a small number of cases, where people may have been awarded a higher level of PIP by a tribunal. This could occur if their case was heard at appeal and a tribunal made a higher award, applying the rulings of the Upper Tribunal. We will not be claiming back the money these individuals received during the period before the new regulations came into force and are considering whether to adjust their payments to bring them in line with the amended PIP regulations.
I will place a copy of the Equality Impact Assessment in the House Library.