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The Work and Pensions Secretary said returning to work was “good for mental health” as he launched a consultation on reforming the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system.
Mel Stride said she wanted to have an “adult, intelligent conversation” about the future of the benefit, which is used to help disabled people with living costs, as the number of people on the benefit increases significantly.
he said sky news“The question I want to ask is, is it fit for purpose given the world we live in today where mental health issues are sadly a bigger issue than they were 10 years ago?”
“We wonder whether straight cash transfers are the answer for everyone, or whether at least someone can benefit from treatment that improves their condition and, in many cases, helps them get a job if they are unemployed. You should think about the possibility of receiving it.
“Because what we know about work is that all the evidence shows that work is good for mental health.
“That’s why I’m doing this consultation because the terrain has changed. And we need to think very carefully about how we take these benefits forward.”
talk to BBC Breakfast He added on Monday morning that getting people back to work would benefit many people suffering from long-term mental health conditions.
“Work is one of the main ways we improve our mental health: our daily lives, our interactions with co-workers, our conversations at the water heater. ,” he said.
This comes as leading disability charities warn that mental health conditions must not be penalized in PIP reform and more trained assessors need to be introduced to stop bad decisions being made. This is what I received.
Scope, which widely supports reform, has criticized the fact that the consultation has been “lumped together and mixed up with issues around medical conditions and unemployment benefits”.
“Confusing it with PIP as a disability benefit is actually completely disingenuous,” said Louise Rubin, head of policy and campaigns at Scope. I.
“I think what’s forgotten in all the noise surrounding the prime minister’s speech is that PIP is not unemployment benefits. It’s there to help with the additional costs of disability,” Rubin said.
“We have called for reform of the PIP. [the Government’s] “The starting point seems to be primarily cost-cutting, but our starting point is all the horror stories we hear every day from disabled people,” she added.
“It’s hard to believe that this discussion is about anything other than benefit cuts,” said James Taylor, Scope’s executive director of strategy.
“The cost of living for disabled people, including those with mental health conditions, is even higher. The government needs to stop this reckless attack on disabled people and focus on how to solve the real underlying problems. “There is,” he continued.
The Prime Minister announced plans to reform the benefit system earlier this month, saying the government would “improve eligibility criteria, assessment processes and the support that can be provided so that the system is more targeted to individual needs and more closely linked.” We will consider changing the type of We aim to respond to people’s conditions rather than the current ‘one size fits all’ approach. ”
Ministers say the reforms are needed because the cost of PIP is expected to increase by 52%, or £32.8bn, between 2023/24 and 2027/28.