Government responds to ‘dehumanising DWP’ petition | European Markets

A petition initiated in January is rallying assist to halt the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) from regularly reassessing disabled people for Private Independence Funds (PIP). The marketing campaign has already attracted more than 14,000 signatures, reflecting a growing discontent with the present system.

PIP serves as a essential assist for disabled and chronically ailing residents within the UK however the software course of is infamously tough, suffering from delays, intensive paperwork, and aggravating assessments designed to evaluate the impression of a particular person’s situation on their capability to say the benefit.

As soon as claimants navigate this hurdle, they need to bear reassessment periodically to take care of their entitlement. Gary Robinson, the person behind the petition on the Parliament web site, condemned these recurrent assessments as “dehumanising, and interrogation-like”, including: “Interviews and repeated legal battles to prove entitlements to benefits are distressing.”

Robinson highlighted the burden on these with real disabilities who’re compelled to repeatedly submit medical proof, generally incurring personal prices, simply to affirm their ongoing eligibility.

If the petition garners 100,000 signatures by June 23, it might be thought of for a Parliamentary debate. In the meantime, the Authorities has issued a detailed response to the petition’s claims.

A DWP spokesperson mentioned: “Personal Independence Payment is based on needs and not condition. Award reviews are a key feature of the benefit and ensure that payments accurately match the current needs of claimants.”

The DWP acknowledged that assessments might be aggravating and highlighted the provision of varied evaluation choices, together with face-to-face and phone assessments.

It continued: “Award durations are based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award which is subject to a light touch review at the 10-year point.

“On PIP, 3.2 million initial choices following an evaluation have been made between July 2019 and June 2024; 7% have been appealed, 4% have been cleared at a tribunal listening to and three% have been overturned.”

The Government reiterated its commitment to reforming the health and disability benefits system, aiming to promote employment, support independent living for disabled individuals, and ensure long-term financial sustainability. “We’re working to develop proposals for reform within the months forward and can set them out in a Inexperienced Paper forward of the Spring Assertion later this 12 months. The Inexperienced Paper will embody proposals meant to allow additional enchancment in evaluation high quality.”