DPAC Northern Ireland

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) Northern Ireland stands with the wider DPAC movement in urgently opposing the UK Government’s proposed changes to disability benefits and employment support.

These proposals, outlined in recent green papers, threaten to push hundreds of thousands—including children—into poverty, while offering negligible improvements in employment outcomes. Instead of enabling deaf and disabled people to work, the measures risk forcing many out of employment by removing essential support such as PIP.

The cuts will have far-reaching consequences, including increased costs to the NHS, social care, and local authorities, alongside significant losses to the economy through reduced spending power in disadvantaged communities. In Northern Ireland, the impact is likely to be especially severe, as devolved authorities struggle to mitigate additional bedroom tax liabilities and support those affected.

POVERTY IMPACTS

Total numbers including children pushed into poverty:

• According to the on-paper cuts that are being proposed as opposed to figures after accounting for predicted behaviour changes (see information on scale of cuts)
  • As a result of all of the green paper proposals not only the PIP cut proposals

EMPLOYMENT IMPACTS

• How many will be moved into work as a result of the proposed measures that include £1 billion investment in employment support. This is likely to be negligible amount. According to the OBR figures for the changes to the WCA only 3% would have moved into employment. Employment outcomes for the Green paper proposals are likely to be negligible. These will not be ready until October when they are due to be published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) ahead of the Autumn budget. MPs will be expected to vote before then on only a fraction of the information.
• How many will be pushed out of work as a result of:
  • Benefit cuts removing the support we need to work (1 in 6 PIP claimants are in work but many say they will have to stop working if they lose their PIP)
  • Distress of ramped up benefit reassessments and fear of losing essential income moving claimants away from employment
  • Lost hours of work in the wider economy currently funded from claimants’ PIP

COST OF APPEALS

Additional expenditure required for increased numbers of Mandatory Reconsiderations and appeals. The OBR estimates that of more than 1.5 million existing and new claimants impacted by the proposed PIP cuts by 2029/30, only 800,000 of these are likely to end up with a benefit loss. The current average cost per appeal is more than £400. The increase in numbers of MRs and appeals will be substantial. Projected additional costings are not yet available from the Ministry of Justice.

IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY

Loss to the economy from reduced retail spend. In 2024, retail sales in Great Britain were worth £517 billion. In 2023, Scope estimated the spending power of Disabled people and our families as being 274 billion per year. What Disabled people receive in benefits goes straight out again on essentials. In the most disadvantaged areas, local businesses will be hit by disability benefit cuts on this scale.

IMPACT ON NHS AND PUBLIC SERVICES

The cost of additional pressures on the NHS, local authorities and mental health services.  Every pound lost through cuts to disability benefits results in £1.50 additional cost to local authorities. PIP cuts on this scale will result in a direct loss to adult social care budgets as they will reduce the amount that local authorities can charge Disabled people for the social care support services they use.

NATIONAL BREAKDOWNS

• Numbers who will be impacted by the proposals disaggregated across the four nations
• Total numbers including children who will be pushed into poverty by the proposals disaggregated across the four nations
• Numbers who will become subject to the bedroom tax/who will incur additional bedroom tax charges as a result of losing their daily living PIP disaggregated across the four nations. This is especially relevant to Scotland and Northern Ireland where their governments currently mitigate the bedroom tax and will therefore be left having to find additional funding to cover additional bedroom tax charges.