Do disability benefits need reform?

>>> Sign up to our live event: https://ifs.org.uk/events/ifs-zooms-live-look-ahead-budget <<<

The number of people receiving disability benefits has risen sharply in recent years, pushing up government spending and prompting renewed debate about how the system should work.

In this episode, Helen Miller is joined by IFS economists Eduin Latimer and Tom Waters to explain how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) works, who receives it and why claims have increased. They examine the choices facing the government as the Timms Review considers the future of disability benefits.

Should PIP remain a universal cash benefit? Could more support be provided in kind? Should eligibility depend more on the severity or type of a person’s condition? And what would different reforms mean for claimants and the public finances? The discussion explores the difficult trade-offs involved in reforming disability benefits - including who receives support, what form that support takes and how much the government spends.

This episode draws on new IFS research published as part of the 2026 Green Budget. The 2026 edition of the IFS Green Budget is funded by the Nuffield Foundation, Barclays and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through the Centre for Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy (CPP).

Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membership

Find out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.