Personal Independence Payment: Cancer
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's report entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment on people under 25 years of age with cancer; and whether people under 25 years of age with cancer and currently in receipt in Personal Independence Payment will continue to be eligible under the proposed reforms.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
We have committed to introduce a new requirement that claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Age will not be a factor in this.
We will always protect the most vulnerable. The PIP assessment considers the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability, not the health condition or disability itself. Therefore, the impact in each case will depend on an individual’s circumstances. For those already on PIP, the changes will only apply from November 2026 at their next award review, subject to parliamentary approval. People will be reviewed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstance. Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).
There will be no change for a person claiming PIP under “Special Rules for End of Life” (SREL). They will not require a consultation and will automatically be awarded the enhanced rate of daily living as is the current process.
Most people receiving PIP now will still receive it after these reforms. In the Green Paper, we are consulting on how best to support those who do lose entitlement, including how to make sure health and care needs are met.
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