DISABLED people are being pushed into destitution while waiting more than a year to have their disability benefit claims processed amid “unacceptably poor service levels,” the Commons spending watchdog found today.

A report by the public accounts committee (Pac) slammed the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for failing to hit its target for new personal independence payment (Pip) claims being processed.

The committee said that it did not appear to have an “adequate plan” for reducing waits, with only 51 per cent of claims processed within the target timeframe of 75 working days in 2024-25.

“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 said.

Pip is a payment to help with extra living costs for people with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability who have difficulty doing certain daily tasks.

Pac chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the committee’s report had found disability benefits claimants “may now expect a reliably poor service” from the DWP.

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) co-founder Linda Burnip said: “This is yet another example of how dysfunctional DWP are as an organisation supposed to support disabled people.

“They’ve already had three years to improve their performance yet continue to fail miserably.

“They are now saying this will take another three years to improve, leaving disabled people in the meantime without an adequate income and facing further destitution and poverty. This is totally unacceptable.”

Scope’s director of strategy James Taylor said: “Time and again disabled people are being let down by our benefits system. Continued delays are unacceptable.

“The cost of living is still sky high and disabled people are far more likely to live in poverty. 

“At the very least the government must get its administration right.”

An ongoing review into Pip is expected to report by autumn.

The DWP said the average time taken for a Pip claim to be decided on was 16 weeks at the end of October.

A department spokesperson 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.”