The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that no assessment has been made into the potential costs involved of means-testing Personal Independence Payment (PIP), following Secretary of State Mel Stride’s comments in Parliament last week.
During his first oral session as DWP boss, Mr Stride could not give ‘categorical assurance’ that he would not introduce means-testing for disability benefits including PIP, Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance for Children, when asked by Labour’s shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, Jonathan Ashworth. In a follow-up to his original question, Mr Ashworth asked whether DWP had conducted an assessment of the administrative costs of means testing PIP per month.
In a written response on November 8, DWP Minister for Disabled People, Tom Pursglove, said: “Personal Independence Payment, as for all the extra costs disability benefits, is not means tested. No assessment has been made of the administrative costs of introducing a means test.”
On October 31, Mr Ashworth asked Mel Stride: “Can he give a categorical assurance that, in the Autumn Statement, he will rule out means-testing Personal Independence Payments, Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance for Children?”
The Labour MP added: “The Prime Minister tells us that we do not need a general election because the 2019 manifesto gives him and the Conservative party a mandate.
“Given that that manifesto committed to the Triple Lock, why can he not give pensioners the reassurance that they deserve?”
Mr Stride did not rule out making disability benefits means-tested, instead he opted not to offer a direct response.
He replied: “The right hon. Gentleman is inviting me, in a whole host of areas, to break with what has been a very long-standing and quite correct convention that Ministers simply do not provide a running commentary about what may or may not be in a major fiscal event.
“However, he has my personal assurance that when and as it is appropriate to pass him information of that kind, he will be the first to know.”
The Autumn Budget is scheduled to take place on November 17.
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