Judicial Review into PIP Delays

Available for over a year

The change from Disability Living Allowance to the new Personal Independence Payment benefit (PIP) took place in Spring 2013. For visually impaired people this has only applied to people who are newly registered as visually impaired or blind and want to claim the benefit for the first time. Law firm Irwin Mitchell say that new claimants have been waiting up to fourteen months between sending off their application to the Department for Work and Pensions, and receiving a decision about their benefit. The court has granted the firm a judicial review in to the wait times some claimants say they have been facing. We hear from two visually impaired people about the delay to their benefit, and speak to Anne-Marie Irwin from Irwin and Mitchell, about the judicial review and what it can achieve. Listener Mike Lambert shares his personal viewpoint on that awkward moment when a friendly voice just can't be placed. Qualified fitness instructor Jane Taylor, herself visually impaired, demonstrates some strategies for staying mobile and maintaining baseline fitness when you're older and losing your sight. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.