The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that the 12-member steering group examining eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will convene with the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms, alongside his two co-chairs for the first time later this week.

Sir Stephen made these remarks during the DWP oral questions session in Parliament on Monday. He added: “I cannot pre-empt the choice of priorities and recommendations, but the review will draw on the full range of voices to build a system that is fair to everybody.”

The DWP Minister also emphasised how there were two million working-age adults claiming PIP before the coronavirus pandemic, but that figure has now climbed to over three million and is “set to exceed four million by the end of the decade”. Sir Stephen added: “My review will aim to make sure that PIP is fair and fit for the future.”

The examination of PIP eligibility is scheduled to be completed by this Autumn.

PIP currently delivers additional financial support of between £116.80 and £749.80 every four-week payment period to over 3.8 million people in England and Wales, reports the Daily Record.

PIP assists people with the extra costs of a disability or a long-term health condition, and the UK Government has previously stated it is “committed to ensuring it remains a non-means-tested cash benefit there for people in and out of work”.

Despite evolving patterns in disability and long-term health conditions, alongside broader societal and workplace transformations, the UK Government stated that PIP has never undergone a comprehensive review.

The ‘Timms Review’ will be jointly chaired by Sir Stephen, Sharron Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. The co-chairs will supervise a steering group of 12 individuals which will collectively guide the Review.

Elements of PIP under review

The Timms Review will consider both the Daily Living and Mobility elements of PIP.

Principles of the Timms Review

The UK Government has set out the scope and several key principles of the Timms Review.

• The goal of the Review is to ensure that PIP is fair and fit for the future – reflecting the reality of people’s conditions and their goals and ambitions – taking account of changes in society since it was first devised and introduced.
• The Review will ensure that PIP remains a crucial part of the health-related and disability benefits system, providing non-means-tested support for people in and out of work.
• The Review will consider how recommendations might be applied to reassessments for people already claiming PIP to ensure it is fair and fit for both new and existing claimants.

A full list of the principles can be found on GOV.UK.

DWP guidance says: “We are committed to concluding the Review by Autumn 2026. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Pat McFadden), so that the government can then make any decisions flowing from it.

“These could take the form of changes to primary legislation, secondary legislation, as well as a range of potential non-legislative actions.”