A powerful committee of MPs has issued a stark warning that unacceptable delays at the Department for Work and Pensions are risking pushing vulnerable disability benefit claimants into debt and poverty.
‘Unacceptable’ Waiting Times for Vital Support
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a damning report on January 9, 2026, highlighting severe backlogs in processing claims for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The findings show that in the 2024-25 period, only 51% of new PIP claims were processed within the target of 75 working days. This falls far short of the DWP's own goal of 75%.
MPs on the cross-party committee stated they are aware of constituents waiting over a year for a decision on their vital financial support. PIP is the main disability benefit designed to help with extra living costs arising from long-term health conditions or disabilities, and is paid regardless of employment status.
A Department ‘Unresponsive to Needs’
The report pulls no punches in its criticism, stating: "It is unacceptable how long some PIP claimants are having to wait for their claims to be processed, which can cause them to get into debt and push them into poverty." It further accuses the DWP of lacking an adequate short-term plan to rectify the crisis.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Chair of the PAC, expressed profound frustration, noting that promised improvements from three years ago have not materialised. "Our Committee received reassurances three years ago that improvements would have manifested by now; we are now told that they are a further three years off," he said. "This is simply not good enough for our constituents, who we know risk being pushed into debt or poverty by a Department unresponsive to their needs."
Calls for Transparency and Ongoing Scrutiny
The Committee has demanded that the DWP provide more detailed data on waiting times, including the longest wait recorded in 2024/25. This call for transparency comes amid controversy, as the DWP told MPs that the extreme cases highlighted were not reflected in its official statistics, yet acknowledged the problem was genuine.
The scrutiny of PIP follows a major political rebellion in the summer of 2025, which forced the government to abandon plans to restrict the benefit's eligibility. Instead, ministers launched a review led by DWP minister Sir Stephen Timms, which is expected to report in autumn 2026.
In response to the PAC report, a DWP spokeswoman said: “We always aim to make PIP award decisions as quickly as possible, and the Timms Review is looking at PIP as a whole to make sure it is fit and fair for the future.” The Department also pointed to its £647 million modernisation programme and the redeployment of 1,000 work coaches to support sick and disabled claimants.
