The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged to tighten eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for four health conditions, following data showing over 100,000 people with ADHD now qualify for the benefit. More than half of claimants for the neurodevelopmental condition are aged between 16 and 24, while nearly two thirds of young people cite ADHD, autism, depression, or anxiety as their main disability, according to DWP figures.
Welfare Reform 'Absolutely Necessary' Says Government Adviser
Alan Milburn, the government’s adviser on youth unemployment, said welfare reform was “absolutely necessary” during a Centre for Social Justice event on Monday, July 6. He told an event in London: “You’ve got a huge welfare problem now. The bill is growing … and you’ve got this youth employment catastrophe. You’ve got all of these health issues driving a huge amount of it. It’s driven by anxiety, depression, ADHD and autism. This is a huge change. The number of young people claiming health and disability benefits has doubled in five years.”
He added: “I’m not going to go into what we discussed privately, but everything I’ve seen from Andy publicly suggests that he knows that welfare reform is absolutely necessary. It’s fundamentally about the life chances of a whole generation of young people. If we think the best option and best opportunity that we can give as a country to a generation of young people is a life on benefits — are we serious?”
Think Tank Calls for Tighter Criteria
Joe Shalam, the policy director at the Centre for Social Justice, said: “We’ve heard from small charities across the UK who are picking up the pieces of a broken health benefit system which is, despite good intentions, facilitating a life on the margins for thousands of people. The next PM should tighten eligibility for blunt mental health benefits and instead give people the proper care they need to get on and thrive independently. This is fairer both for taxpayers and for those who today’s Pip system is all too happy to simply write a cheque and leave behind.”
