Disability benefit reform: what is PIP and why is it controversial?

Critics say Iain Duncan Smith's reforms will turn back the clock for disabled people - but IDS denies he's being nasty

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CONTROVERSIAL changes to disability benefits will be introduced in the north of England from today as part of government efforts to trim the billion-pound welfare bill. Critics argue the move to replace the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is "flawed". The government estimates £2.2 billion per year will be saved through the reform by 2015-16. Four questions answered:

How is PIP different? Currently around 3.3 million Britons receive DLA, at a cost of £13.2 billion per year to the state. Up to 71 per cent of those claimants are entitled to the benefit for life, a situation described as "ridiculous" by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith in the Daily Mail. Under PIP, claimants will receive face-to-face assessments and regular "health checks" to see if they should continue receiving financial help.

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