The British government is planning a major update to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system after a detailed review led by Minister Stephen Timms.

英國政府在由大臣 Stephen Timms 領導的詳細審查後，計劃對個人獨立付款 (PIP) 制度進行一次重大更新。

The Timms review, which included feedback from 38,000 people over ten weeks, argues that the current points-based assessment is out of date. The report emphasizes that the system does not properly handle mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, as these often change in severity over time. Furthermore, the review describes the process as dehumanizing and suggests that the current rules may actually discourage people from working because the system rewards those who focus only on their worst symptoms.

Timms 的審查在十週內收集了 38,000 人的回饋，認為目前的積分評估制度已經過時。報告強調，該制度未能妥善處理心理健康與神經發育狀況，因為這些狀況的嚴重程度往往隨時間而變化。此外，審查將該過程描述為缺乏人性，並指出目前的規則實際上可能會阻礙人們就業，因為該制度獎勵那些僅專注於最嚴重症狀的人。

Financial pressure is a primary reason for these changes. The Office for Budget Responsibility predicts that spending on sickness and disability benefits for working-age people will rise from £58 billion in 2025 to £78 billion by 2030. This is partly due to the number of PIP claimants reaching 4 million. Notably, there has been a sharp increase in ADHD claims among 16-to-24-year-olds. Experts suggest this growth might be caused by better diagnosis or by people seeking disability benefits because other welfare services were cut in the past.

財務壓力是這些變更的主要原因。預算責任局預測，針對勞動年齡人口的病假與殘疾福利支出將從 2025 年的 580 億英鎊增加到 2030 年的 780 億英鎊。部分原因在於 PIP 申請人數達到了 400 萬。值得注意的是，16 至 24 歲年輕人的 ADHD 申請人數大幅增加。專家認為，這種增長可能是由於診斷改善，或是因為過去其他福利服務被削減，導致人們轉而申請殘疾福利。

Politically, the government wants to reduce spending and help more people enter the job market. Leaders such as Andy Burnham and adviser Louise Haigh have stressed the need to lower the welfare budget while helping young claimants find employment. Consequently, the government plans to combine PIP assessments with the health part of Universal Credit and use more face-to-face interviews. Although the review committee cannot suggest any changes that increase total spending, the goal is to create a fairer system that fits modern needs without spending more money.

在政治上，政府希望減少開支並幫助更多人進入就業市場。如 Andy Burnham 等領導人與顧問 Louise Haigh 都強調，在幫助年輕申請人就業的同時，有必要降低福利預算。因此，政府計劃將 PIP 評估與通用信貸 (Universal Credit) 的健康部分合併，並增加面對面訪談。儘管審查委員會不能提出任何會增加總支出之變更，但目標是在不增加花費的情況下，建立一個更公平且符合現代需求的制度。

The government plans to replace the points-based PIP system with a more flexible model to control rising costs and help more people return to work.

政府計劃以一個更靈活的模型取代積分制的 PIP 制度，以控制上升的成本並幫助更多人重返職場。