Expert comment: Review of disability benefit claims highlights serious problems

The Government’s decision to order a review of all 1.6 million disability benefit claims is evidence of serious problems with its implementation of cuts to social security spending.

That’s the verdict of Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby, an expert in social policy at the University.

The review follows the Government’s acceptance of a ruling against a policy that excluded people with mental health conditions from claiming a higher level of personal independence payment (PIP).

He comments: ‘ This is a victory for disability campaigners and will result in a higher award to at least 220,000 people (Government estimate) and possibly many more at a cost of £3.7 billion by 2022.

‘This is part of a pattern. The Government’s policy of achieving large savings from the benefit budget has been implemented through changes to rules such as this one and discretionary decisions, often outsourced to private agencies.

‘Several of these rule changes have been defeated in the courts. Nearly half of the discretionary decisions to apply a sanction to Job Seeker’s Allowance and Employment Support Allowance claimers were overturned on appeal, suggesting serious problems with the procedure, although there has been some recent improvement.

‘The cuts in social security laid down in George Osborne’s budgets and now being implemented with little change are an essential part of the Government’s plan to reduce the deficit close to zero. The failure to implement these cuts successfully raises serious questions about the viability of this strategy.’

Peter Taylor-Gooby is Professor of Social Policy at the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research.