Milburn report on PIP changes for under-25s, Digi Mart USA News: A major announcement on changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is expected on Tuesday, when Labour will present the findings of the Milburn report on benefits for young people to Parliament. Former minister Alan Milburn has said the government has “got to be paying out less in benefits.”
According to the publisher’s report, the Milburn report recommends removing PIP and the health element of Universal Credit from under-25s. It is reported that the government of Andy Burnham will go ahead with these measures, although it is unclear when they would take effect.
Under the proposal, the money would instead be replaced by a new fund or payment intended to support young people into work. Overall, however, less in benefits is expected to be paid out.
Labour’s stated aim is to tackle the welfare bill by moving more young people off benefits such as PIP and Universal Credit and into work.
The publisher notes that young adults have been largely responsible for the rising PIP bill in recent years, with claims for conditions such as anxiety and depression surging. Milburn said spending on benefits for young people is 25 times as much as spending on employment support, and argued this needs to change.
It is expected that people with the most severe conditions who are unable to work would not be affected.
Milburn told the BBC that “the pendulum’s swung far too far from the one to the other,” adding that the balance needed to shift towards greater investment and less spending on benefits. Burnham told reporters that the government would wait for the report to be published, with its response to be set out the following week, describing it as a “watershed moment” in supporting young people into work.
