The Timms review will determine the future of Personal Independence Payments, the primary adult disability benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions supporting approximately 3.7million people. Headed by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, the review will be co-produced alongside disabled people and other relevant stakeholders.
The government has now revealed which additional groups might be included and consulted throughout the review process. In response to written parliamentary questions, Timms clarified where unpaid carers and veterans stand during the review.
He confirmed that organisations representing unpaid carers would participate: « The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard.
« This will include carers’ organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard.
« We are committed to concluding the review by Autumn 2026 and reporting outcomes to the House in a ministerial Oral Statement. We have committed to a general debate on this, in Government time. Any legislation to implement the outcomes of the review will not be brought forward until that has happened. »
However, when another MP enquired if the needs of veterans would be encompassed in the review’s scope, Timms merely stated that the Office for Veterans’ Affairs would be kept abreast of any developments during the review.
He wrote: « My officials will work with their counterparts in the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to ensure they are kept informed of the Timms Review, and its deliberations, as the review progresses in the coming year.
« Veterans, depending on their needs, can access a variety of support including PIP, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), the Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP), and the Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP). No changes are proposed to the Armed Forces Independence Payments.
« The government is committed to ensuring that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means tested cash benefit which is there for people, now and into the future.
« That is why we have launched a wider review of the PIP assessment as a whole, to make sure it is fair and fit for the future in a changing world and helps support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence. »
The Timms reviews is set to conclude next Autumn with a general debate due on its results. The review is meant to consider a number of vital PIP aspects such as:
- Role of the assessment
- Assessment criteria
- If other evidence could be provided by claimants
- How the system could provide more fair access and the correct support
- The assessment’s role in unlocking wider support
The outcome of the review could lead to changes in legislation around PIP, secondary legislation or non-legislative actions.
