DWP confirms major PIP shake-up will also look at Carer's Allowance eligibility

David Bentley & Aaron Morris
·2-min read
The DWP has given a update on PIP reforms
The DWP has given a update on PIP reforms -Credit:PA


DWP proposals for PIP changes will also examine the impact the benefit has on Carer's Allowance, the Government has confirmed. Major changes could see cash payments swapped out completely for vouchers and grants to help pay for treatment and therapy under new proposals.

If a person wants to apply for Carer's Allowance, the person who they are responsible for must be in receipt of a disability benefit like PIP to prove that they need care. Additionally, some people on PIP can also claim Carer's Allowance as they look after a partner or child who has disabilities.

But if PIP payments come to a stop, are reduced or are restricted to specific cases due to proposed reforms, it could affect a person's eligibility for Carer's Allowance - and as a result, they could receive less financial support from the state.

Birmingham Live reports that Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas, asked the DWP if it would consider the impact of PIP changes on Carer's Allowance - as figures show that there are 3.5 million claiming PIP in the UK, as well as 991,000 claiming Carer's Allowances.

Ms Lucas probed the Department on what assessment has been made of the impact of proposed changes to PIP on unpaid carers and their eligibility to receive Carer's Allowance. To which, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Mims Davies, said that the new consultation will look at knock-on effects to the £81.90 weekly benefit.

She explained: "Modernising Support for Independent Living: The Health and Disability Green Paper looks at different options to reshape the current welfare system so that we can provide better-targeted support to those who need it most. We are considering these options through our 12-week consultation which was published on Monday 29 April and will close on Monday 22 July at 11:59pm.

"Any possible impacts on unpaid carers and their eligibility to receive Carer's Allowance will be considered as necessary."

She added: "There will be no immediate changes to PIP, or to health assessments. All scheduled PIP assessments and payments will proceed as normal, and claimants should continue to engage as usual and provide any necessary information or updates regarding their circumstances.

"We encourage everyone to respond to the consultation which can be found here so that we are able to hear from as many disabled people, people with health conditions, their representatives, and local stakeholders as possible on these important issues."

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • DWP full list of PIP changes proposed including cutting or scrapping monthly payments

    The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) overhaul consultation closed at midnight last night - we round up some of the major reforms put forward in the DWP consultation

  • Lee Anderson: I’d give medal to police officer filmed stamping on man’s head

    Lee Anderson has said an armed officer who was filmed appearing to kick and stamp on a man’s head at Manchester Airport should be given a medal.

  • Stranded Boeing astronauts are stuck on International Space Station, Nasa says in urgent update

    The astronauts stranded on the International Space Station are still not able to come home, Nasa has said. Two astronauts went to the space station almost 50 days ago as part of a test of Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to visit the orbiting lab for about a week and return in mid-June, but thruster failures and helium leaks on Boeing‘s new Starliner capsule prompted Nasa and Boeing to keep them up longer.

  • Labour to unveil £19bn black hole as Reeves plots tax raid

    Rachel Reeves is preparing to unveil a £19bn black hole in the public finances as she builds up to an autumn tax raid.

  • EU formally opens deficit proceedings against eight member states

    France, Italy, Belgium and five others were targeted by fellow member states after the European Commission warned of ballooning budget shortfalls.

  • Keir Starmer says OVO, E.on, British Gas and Octopus customers will get £300 bill cut

    Labour leader announced a massive program of offshore wind farms and other clean power initiatives

  • The UK Just Dropped Its Challenge To ICC Arrest Warrant For Netanyahu. What Does That Mean?

    Labour has pivoted away from the Tory approach towards Israel.

  • Around 1,000 police deployed amid Tommy Robinson protest and counter-march

    Officers will try and keep opposing groups apart.

  • Claire Coutinho Laughed At In The Commons For Trying To Lecture Labour Over Honesty

    The shadow cabinet minister said they were not being "evil Tories" by pointing out a flaw with government policies.

  • Who is leading the race to become Kamala Harris's running mate? New Yahoo News poll shows support for top contenders.

    A Yahoo News guide to the top Democratic vice-presidential contenders

  • Free speech on campus ‘in peril’, Labour warned over plan to scrap cancel culture laws

    Free speech on campus is “in peril”, Labour was warned on Friday after it announced it would shelve a law to tackle cancel culture at universities.

  • Harris 'will not be silent' on Gaza after tough talks with Netanyahu

    Kamala Harris signaled a major shift on US Gaza policy Thursday, with the presidential hopeful telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seal a peace deal and insisting she would not be "silent" on the suffering in the Palestinian enclave."As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done," she said.

  • Barack and Michelle Obama call Kamala Harris to endorse her bid to become US President

    The Obamas announced their endorsement with a video, in which they telephoned Harris to share their support

  • Barack Obama Endorses Kamala Harris For President

    Harris has enjoyed near-unanimous support from the party, defying pundits who predicted Democratic infighting should Biden bow out.

  • 4 key takeaways from Biden’s speech on his decision to ‘pass the torch to a new generation’

    In a speech delivered from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, President Biden cast his decision to exit the 2024 presidential race as a choice to protect the country from the consequences should his party lose the White House in November.

  • Biden delivers prime-time farewell in all but name - and a reminder of why Democrats turned to Harris to take on Trump

    This was a president with six months left in office, and yet, it was a farewell address in all but name. It felt odd, entirely in keeping with the denouement of Joe Biden's demise - a president dragged kicking and screaming to the exit. The set-piece address was given the Oval Office treatment, normally reserved for times of national crisis.

  • Watch: Armed policeman ‘stamps on man’s head’ at Manchester Airport

    An armed police officer has been filmed apparently launching a kick and a stamp at a man’s head during an incident at Manchester Airport.

  • California governor orders removal of homeless encampment

    STORY: California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday said the state would begin removing homeless encampments. That’s after a Supreme Court decision in late June that upheld anti-camping laws used to ticket and fine people living on the streets. California had 180,000 homeless people in 2023, more than any other state, and the majority slept outdoors, according to U.S. housing officials.Newsom announced the order to remove encampments in a video posted on X. "It's time to move with urgency at the local level to clean up these sites, to focus on public health and focus on public safety. There are no longer any excuses." The Supreme Court decision reversed a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that found punishing people for sleeping outdoors when no shelter beds are available was unconstitutional.Some agencies and local governments had refrained from removing the encampments because of the Ninth Circuit ruling while others faced lawsuits after they cleared camps. Newsom told state agencies to prioritize removing camps that pose health and safety risks, provide at least 48 hours notice to the people affected, request social services for them and store their belongings for at least 60 days. California's transportation department has removed over 11,000 camps since July 2021 using similar policies. Critics of Newsom’s move cite a Rand study showing that such cleanups in Los Angeles did not reduce the homeless population long term. They say that more affordable and supportive housing is needed to effectively address the issue.

  • Government to pay former FBI officials $2 million in settlements over release of anti-Trump texts

    Ex-FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page reached settlements with the Justice Department that will see the government paying out a total of $2 million in their lawsuits over the department’s 2018 release of their text messages.

  • Biden's call for Supreme Court reform 'surprises' political analyst

    STORY: ::July 24, 2024::A political analyst says he was surprisedby Biden's call for Supreme Court reforms::Darry Allen Sragow, Democratic political consultant"I think maybe the only thing that took me by surprise was his throwing in this reference to Supreme Court reform. Because in a sense, that came out of nowhere, he didn't have to put that in the speech, but the fact that he mentioned that suggested to me that in his mind, for the future of the country, this has become a high priority and what he is presumably referring to is the recent decisions coming out of a Supreme Court that is dominated by very conservative justices. // It suggests to me that he was signaling to Vice President Harris and to the party more broadly that this is a fight that the time has come to take on."::Los Angeles, CaliforniaIn an Oval Office address, Biden said he had dropped out of the race against Republican Donald Trump because of his concerns about the future of the country, his first public remarks since his abrupt departure from the 2024 campaign.Sragow said the Supreme Court reforms "came out of nowhere", which suggests to him that the controvesial decisions coming out of the country's top court that's dominated by very conservative justices has become high priority to Biden and that he may be signalling to vice president Kamala Harris that "this is a fight that the time has come to take on."Biden has endorsed Harris, who is Black and Asian American, as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.Sragow said Biden's speech on Wednesday also underlined the high stakes of this election, which he believes is important to try to motivate marginal voters, who are often young voters of color, to cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 election.