Macmillan Cancer Support responds to publication of the Personal Independence Payment statistics

“We welcome the publication of the official Personal Independence Payment statistics. Over the past year, Macmillan has been calling on the government to reduce delays and publish statistics and now for the first time we have sight of comprehensive waiting time statistics. 

“While there has been some progress, these figures suggest that current waiting times are at an average of 14 weeks[1] - this means there is more to do. Under the old system people with cancer had to wait no longer than 11 weeks for their much-needed benefits. However since the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment, lengthy delays have left people anxious, depressed and saddled with unnecessary debt[2].  

“The next government has a duty to ensure that the new disability benefit works at least as well as the old one and Macmillan will be calling on them to ensure delays are reduced further, and any backlog in claims is cleared, as a matter of urgency.”

Notes:

1. DWP Personal Independence Payment statistics: April 2013 to January 2015

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-january-2015 (March 2015). Average waiting time of 14 weeks is between DWP referring a claim to an assessment provider, to the claimant receiving a decision.

2. Macmillan Cancer Support. Waiting to Benefit: An evaluation of how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is working for people living with cancer. June 2014. http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Documents/GetInvolved/Campaigns/Campaigns/WelfareReform/Waiting-to-benefit-report.pdf