Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations
Question
Vicky Foxcroft
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, what evidence his Department took into consideration when assessing whether the (a) 20-metre rule and (b) other criteria within the Personal Independence Payment mobility assessment were the best way of identifying people whose physical mobility is most limited.
Answer
Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper responds to feedback from The Health and Disability Green Paper consultation and sets out proposals to support more disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay, and succeed in work, as well as to improve the overall experience of, and trust in, the benefits system. We will continue to work with disabled people, people with health conditions, and their representatives, to reach the important goals set out in the White Paper.
We believe the current Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment criteria, including the 20-metre rule, are the best way of identifying people whose physical mobility is most limited and there are no immediate plans to make changes. The enhanced rate of the PIP mobility component was always intended to be for those "unable" or "virtually unable" to walk. The 20-metre distance was introduced to distinguish those whose mobility is significantly more limited than others and who face even greater barriers on a day-to-day basis. Individuals who can walk more than 20 metres can still receive the enhanced rate of the mobility component if they cannot do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly or in a reasonable time period.