MPs reply to my email regarding the Timms report

Received this excellent response from my MP.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and for setting out your concerns in such detail.

I appreciate the strength of feeling that exists around this issue, particularly given the importance of PIP to many disabled people and those living with long-term health conditions. As you rightly note, any reforms to the system must be informed by the lived experiences of those who rely on the benefit.

The Timms Review was established to undertake the first comprehensive review of PIP since its introduction in 2013. According to the Review's Interim Report, the steering group has drawn on evidence from more than 38,000 responses to its Call for Evidence, alongside engagement with disabled people, disability organisations and other stakeholders. The Interim Report highlights significant concerns with the current system, including widespread dissatisfaction with the assessment process, which many respondents described as stressful, degrading and failing to reflect the realities of living with disability. It also found that while PIP is often viewed as a vital lifeline that supports independence, the current system is not working as intended for many claimants.

I note your concerns regarding the Government's use of the term "co-production" and whether the process has enabled sufficient participation from ordinary PIP claimants beyond representative organisations and established stakeholder groups. The Review has stated that its steering group was never intended to be representative of the entire disabled community and that no single group could fully represent the breadth of experiences of disabled people. The Review team has therefore sought to supplement the steering group's work through wider engagement exercises, workshops and the Call for Evidence.

However, I understand your point that questions remain about how views have been gathered, how representative those views are, and how they have influenced the Review's emerging recommendations. Transparency in this process is important if confidence in any future reforms is to be maintained.

I want to ensure that your concerns are heard at the highest level of Government. Therefore, I have escalated them to the relevant Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions for further comment, and I am awaiting their reply.

Once I receive a response from the Minister, I will be happy to update you.

Thank you again for getting in touch and for sharing your concerns.

Best wishes,
Pam Cox MP