News

Following our article earlier this month, Benefits and Work can now reveal that two more national charities are recruiting volunteers for trials of the new personal independence payment (PIP) assessment system. This is in spite of the fact that the government has made it clear that the main purpose of PIP is to reduce the disability benefits bill by 20%.

Earlier this month we revealed that the National Autistic Society had written to some of its members asking them to agree to their name being added to a list of potential volunteers for PIP trials, which have already begun and are scheduled to run throughout the summer.

We have now learnt that Action for ME and Mencap have also approached members to ask for their co-operation in designing a process that may result in them losing benefits.

Action for ME told its members that “​The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is looking for volunteers who would be willing to test the draft assessment regulations for the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which will replace DLA. The deadline for volunteering is 30 June.”​

Meanwhile, local Mencap groups were informed that the “​Department of Work and Pensions need 65 volunteers from across the DLA rate combinations to help test assessment criteria for Personal Independence Payment. Testing takes place from June to September. Volunteers to take part in a single, 1 hour, face-to-face consultation with healthcare professio​nal.”​

In neither case do members of these charities seem to have been informed that the trials are being carried out by G4S Forensic and Medical Services Ltd which employs doctors, nurses and paramedics to work as sexual offence examiners.

Nor, so far as we can tell, are disabled claimants told that they are being asked to help design a system that could leave them poorer to the tune of, in some cases, many thousands of pounds a year.