Around 1,000 welfare claimants to recieve more money as Government drops legal challenge

Around 1,000 welfare claimants will be given more money after the Government dropped a legal challenge.

An appeal against a decision that regulations were wrongly interpreted in a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) case has been withdrawn, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey announced.

The wrangle over enhanced payments for the claimant, who has diabetes and dyslexia, dates back to 2015.

“I carefully considered this appeal and have decided to not continue with it in order to provide certainty to the claimant involved,” Ms McVey (pictured) said.

“I am pleased to confirm the claimant will be receiving arrears of benefit as soon as possible.”

It comes after the Cabinet minister told MPs last week that she had withdrawn appeals in relation to two other PIP claimants with chronic conditions.

In a written ministerial statement on Friday, she said the Court of Appeal agreed to allow a challenge in the case of a claimant known as LB to be dropped.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now begun work to apply the regulations as set out in an Upper Tribunal decision on the case in November 2016.

Ms McVey said: “This work will include a review exercise later in the year. We expect that around 1,000 claimants will be affected.

“I am absolutely committed to ensuring that disabled people and people with health conditions get the right support they need.

“PIP is a modern, personalised benefit that assesses claimants on needs, not conditions.”

Marsha de Cordova, shadow minister for disabled people, said the DWP was in “chaos” and called for Ms McVey to “get a grip”.

She said: “It’s welcome news that the Secretary of State has dropped her plans to appeal this Upper Tribunal Personal Independence Payments decision – but she should never have been considering an appeal in the first place.

“Appealing the decision would have been yet another example of the Tory government attempting to deny crucial social security support to disabled people.

“After yesterday’s High Court ruling that the Government has discriminated against disabled people, more evidence today of the failings of Universal Credit and the thousands of repayments already being made, the DWP is looking like a department in chaos.

“Esther McVey needs to get a grip of her department and the Tories need to radically overhaul their failing approach to social security.

“Labour will transform our social security system, ensuring it is there to support disabled people to live independently and with dignity.”

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