Green Paper Related Discussions

It’s funny you say that it’s unlawful to deprive a group of food and shelter as Starmer is fully aware of this. He took Blair to court over the right of asylum seekers to claim benefits. Starmer won on the grounds it’s everyone’s legal right to have food and shelter. This man has absolutely no morals whatsoever. As you said there are many ways in which this legislation is unlawful. This could take him down and I hope all those that vote for cuts or abstain go down with him .
As for them making the public believe they were targeting the young with MH and Neurodivergent that was a lie . It’s older people with physical conditions he’s targeting when we have even less chance of working. I have fibromyalgia and ME so I’m constantly in pain and fatigued without any good days. To force me to overexert myself is dangerous . The problem is the pip descriptors don’t cover pain or fatigue.

From the Guardian

Work and pensions secretary calls for groups to engage as she scraps capability assessment and overhauls Pip application

Liz Kendall is to begin an overhaul of the disability benefit assessment process long decried by campaigners as cruel, calling on groups to engage with the changes amid criticism of the government’s forthcoming welfare cuts.

The work and pensions secretary said on Monday she was beginning the process of abolishing the work capability assessment and overhauling the process to apply for the personal independence payment (Pip) – which can be paid to those in or out of work – to form a single assessment process.

Kendall said the changes would involve significant consultation with disabled people. Several MPs have been highly critical of the government’s decision not to consult on drastic changes to eligibility for Pip and the top-ups to universal credit for those who cannot work because of disability.

Her announcement comes days after 42 Labour MPs signed a letter to the Guardian calling for a pause on the welfare changes, which campaigners say will push thousands of people into poverty. The MPs said they could not support the green paper in its current form.

Several MPs told Kendall in the Commons last week they remained deeply concerned about the impact of the cuts on constituents. The government has said the changes are necessary to address the rising welfare bill and sharp increase in Pip awards – and to encourage more unemployed disabled people to try to get back into work.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, who organised the letter, said helping people into work would “require investment in employment support programmes, incentives for employers to recruit them and enforcement of anti-discrimination rules.

“Isn’t it appropriate the members are only asked to vote on any changes to the benefits system after all the information about the impact of these proposals has been provided?”

Polly Billington, the MP for East Thanet, who did not sign the letter, criticised a proposed benefits change to delay access to the health element of universal credit to age 22. She asked: “Can she explain to me how denying access to the heath-related element of universal credit will help these young people into work?”

Imran Hussain, Bradford East MP, said to Kendall: “Please listen to the growing calls, in this place [parliament] and out there, to scrap these unfair cuts and instead do the right thing by taxing the super-rich so they can pay their fair share.”

Kendall said she hoped MPs would take heart from the changes to the assessment process that would come from the review beginning this week.

“I know how anxious many people are when there’s talk about reform, but this government wants to ensure Pip is fair for people who need it now and into the future,” she said.

“In our green paper we promised to review the Pip assessment, working with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. And I can tell the house we are starting the first phase of that review today.”

Kendall said she would invite disability campaigners and disabled people to be involved in the implementation of many of the changes. “We are consulting with disabled people and the organisations that represent them about what support can be available for anyone who loses out.

“We will be consulting with disabled people about how to build our £1bn-a-year employment support programme, and we will make sure that those who can never work will be protected, including by making sure that they do not have to go through reassessment repeatedly, which has been the situation so far.”

In the green paper published in March, the Department for Work and Pensions said experiences of the assessment were “not always positive” and that reporting of mental health or neurodiverse conditions was increasing more rapidly and more markedly among younger adults – another reason it gave for reviewing the assessment.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/12/liz-kendall-dwp-disability-benefit-assessment

This has been posted on the Benefits and Work site under 'News' today. I'm posting this for information purposes.

Work on combined PIP assessment has begun

 Published: 12 May 2025

In a desperate effort to distract attention from the growing anger over the proposed personal independence (PIP) cuts, Liz Kendall announced that work has begun on designing a new assessment which will combine the doomed work capability assessment (WCA) with the PIP assessment.

In the Pathways To Work Green paper, Labour announced that the WCA would be scrapped in 2028 and eligibility for the additional UC health element would be based on receiving any rate of the daily living component of PIP.

In order to do this the DWP plan to change the PIP assessment rules, which they claim need “modernising.  In particular, the Green Paper notes that:   

“People reporting mental health or neurodiverse conditions as their primary condition have increased more rapidly than those reporting other conditions, and increases in disability have been more marked among younger adults than older people, although older working-age people are still more likely to be disabled.”

It seems that Labour have in mind a tightening of the PIP eligibility criteria around mental health and neurodiversity and possibly around the “condition” of being young.

In addition, the Green Paper warns that the aim of the new assessment is to “shape a system of active support that helps people manage and adapt to their long-term condition and disability in ways that expand their functioning and improve their independence.”

It is entirely unclear what this might mean, except it sounds like some claimants may be given something other than cash.

Liz Kendall told MPs “I know how anxious many people are when there’s talk about reform, but this government wants to ensure PIP is fair for people who need it now and into the future. In our green paper we promised to review the PIP assessment, working with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. And I can tell the house we are starting the first phase of that review today.”

The review is being led by Stephen Timms, the DWP disability minister who has been criticised by many for what they see as a marked change of stance from his opposition days, when he was a fierce critic of the DWP and seen as an ally of disabled claimants.

The fact that a new PIP assessment is due to be introduced in 2028 adds a new layer of fear an uncertainty for PIP claimants.

From November 2026, Labour plans to implement new rules which will remove PIP daily living from any current claimant who does not score at least 4 points for one activity when their award is reviewed.

But now, claimants have the added fear that the PIP assessment may change radically in 2028 and there may be other ways in which their award can be taken away from them. 

In addition, the DWP have still not made it clear whether existing claimants who get the limited capability for work-related activity element in their universal credit, will be protected if they do not receive – or lose – their PIP daily living component from 2028.

Kendall claims the DWP review team will be working with disabled people and the organisations that represent them.

But many claimants must be wondering about the wisdom of organisations lending their name to a process which may result in an even more complex and even less generous assessment system.

And many Labour MPs may be wondering about the electoral wisdom of launching yet another attack on both PIP and UC claimants a matter of possibly only months before an election in 2029.

It is likely that hundreds of thousands of disabled claimants voted for Labour at the last election in order to put paid to the Tory’s hated PIP voucher suggestion.

If Liz Kendall had been asked to make absolutely, cast-iron certain that those same voters would never, ever vote Labour again, she could hardly have come up with a better plan.

I hope you are too 😁🤞 there's been a little bit of noise over people who don't get pip but receive support group / lcwra .... What will happen to them and will they get protected when the pip takes over from wca in 2028 , least it's even being mentioned now as a possible problem , there must be some amendments to these reforms surely ? In there present form they will destroy people

I agree the form doesn’t cover our conditions at all . Simply put , if like me you’re fatigued and in pain all the time and therefore resting or sleeping how can you do much of anything . Plus when you do you suffer for it afterwards. Having ME and being forced to work and push yourself when your body is telling you to pace yourself is dangerous .