Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Impact Analysis tables - 18 June 2025
Date published:
In March 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published 'Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper'. DWP's 'Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts' document included high-level figures on the impact of the planned changes to both PIP and UC, in DWP jurisdictions. Impacts of the change for Northern Ireland were not provided.
The Department for Communities (DfC) worked with DWP analysts and obtained the methodology and modelling used for the production of the impacts for DWP. Analytics Division used NI data to produce volumes and forecasts for Northern Ireland. The impact of the planned changes provided in these documents relate to Northern Ireland only and are comparable with the equivalent data produced by DWP in their impact documents.
Northern Ireland data was published on 27 June to reflect the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill as it was introduced into Parliament on 18 June 2025.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced on 30 June that the reforms for PIP and UC would impact only new claimants to the benefits. Therefore, revised analysis has been produced to reflect this. The previous analysis which relates to the Bill as introduced into Parliament on the 18 June 2025 will remain available for comparative purposes.
During the Bill’s second stage debate on 1 July, the UK Government committed to amendment of the Bill to remove entirely the clauses relating to the PIP changes.
The Northern Ireland Data presented here reflects the position of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Bill as introduced into Parliament on 18 June 2025.
Documents
- Northern Ireland Personal Independence Payment benefit - impact analysis of 4 point Daily Living rule as outlined in DWP Spring Statement 2025 (18 June 2025)
- Northern Ireland Universal Credit - impact analysis of changes to the health element and UC standard allowance as outlined in DWP Spring Statement 2025 (18 June 2025)