DWP chief Liz Kendall vows to reform sickness and disability benefits during PIP debate

The controversial proposal to transform the cash-based Personal Independence Payment (PIP) into a voucher system for purchasing equipment was fiercely debated in Parliament this week. Liz Kendall MP, the new head of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), faced intense scrutiny over the widespread public disapproval.

During the inaugural Work and Pensions Committee meeting under the new Labour government, Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling probed the Secretary of State on the possibility of abandoning cash payments in favour of vouchers, an idea previously suggested by the Conservative Party. Liz Kendall signalled decisively that stripping disability benefit recipients of their spending autonomy is not part of the planned welfare reforms.

Highlighting the previous administration's approach, the DWP chief noted that they "didn't have a plan, they had a consultation" which attracted over 1,600 responses. Ms Kendall remarked that she was "very struck, particularly by the comments people made around shifting support to vouchers, where many organisations said their real concern was that it took away people's autonomy - particularly when services are so stretched and tight".

The Daily Record has reported that she also stated that she had pondered over those comments "very, very carefully" and confirmed that the Labour Government will introduce its own strategies to "reform sickness and disability benefits ", based on firm principles of "getting the decision right first time, early intervention, genuine support to help people into work, helping people live full, fulfilling and independent lives".

However, she acknowledged that it's "extremely difficult and I know people really want more detail, but we won't do that until we're absolutely ready and have had the proper discussions with people". Last month, Minister for Social Security and Disabilities Sir Stephen Timms confirmed that the DWP does not intend to respond to the previous government's consultation on the matter, effectively putting the idea of replacing PIP cash with vouchers or grants on hold, reports the Manchester Evening News.

In a written response to Liberal Democrats Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain, Sir Stephen revealed that the DWP is instead "exploring potential changes to modernise the PIP service to improve claimants' experience and trust in our services and decisions". The previous Conservative government's Green Paper had proposed considering alternative models to support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, rather than relying solely on regular cash payments.