The Department for Work and Pensions is under pressure to overhaul sickness benefits for young people after figures showed 87,000 16- and 17-year-olds are claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP), worth up to £776 a month. The benefit, designed to help with extra costs of disability, has come under fire for allegedly incentivising young people to choose welfare over work.
Calls for Reform
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the system’s “incentives are topsy-turvy” and were pushing young people towards a lifetime on welfare. She highlighted that a 16-year-old working 12 hours a week on the under-18 minimum wage takes home about £94 a week, while a teenager on PIP receives nearly £200 a week. “Our sickness benefit system is broken. Instead of being there for the seriously disabled, thousands of teenagers are getting nearly £200 a week for anxiety and ADHD. This is absurd,” Whately said. “Young people are being told they have disabilities and pointed towards welfare. Worse still, those teenagers will be better off than their classmates who manage to get a part-time job.”
Political Reaction
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch used the figures to issue a warning to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. In a statement, she said: “You must rule out any tax rises or increased borrowing that will ultimately fall on the next generation to pay for.” The message came as Burnham, who replaced Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader, faced growing pressure over welfare reform.
Expert Opinion
Joe Shalam, head of policy at the Centre for Social Justice think tank, said the health benefit system was trapping people on the margins of society. “We see this week in, week out from the frontline charities who are left to pick up the pieces,” he said. “A compassionate system would provide the treatment and support young people need to build an independent future, rather than simply writing a cheque and walking away.”
Government Response
A government spokesperson defended PIP, describing it as “an in and out-of-work benefit, to help with the extra costs of disability and health conditions.” However, they acknowledged the system needs reform. “The Timms review interim report is clear Pip, as designed in 2013, is no longer fit for purpose, and the final recommendations due this autumn will lay the foundation for reform,” the spokesperson said. They also highlighted increased investment in mental health services, including a record £16.1 billion for NHS mental health this year and the early achievement of a target to hire 8,500 more mental health workers.
