Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) update

Following the announcement of the Timms PIP Review in 2025, the membership of the Review Steering Group has now been confirmed.

The Group is chaired by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, with 2 co-chairs. The majority of the Steering Group members are disabled people or people living with a long-term condition, and many have direct experience of the PIP system. 

The first Review Steering Group meeting took place in January 2026. The group will continue to meet monthly until the end of the review period in November 2026. 

The first stage of the group's work will focus on listening to people who have applied for or receive PIP, as well as social security advisers and healthcare professionals. The group will then test the review’s proposals. 

We expect a mid-point report to be published in April or May 2026, which should indicate the direction of travel.

We’ve also learned how the review will seek and include the views of MPs, their constituents and other people with an interest in the review of PIP.

How we’ll feed into the Timms Review

We want to make sure the voice of people with Parkinson’s are heard by the Timms Review Steering Group. To support this we’ve created our own PIP Review Reference Group (RRG). 

Late last year, we recruited 15 working age people with experience of claiming PIP, who are either living with Parkinson’s or caring for someone with the condition. 

Of the 15 members, 10 are women. One member is from Wales and another from Scotland. All other members are from England. 

Our RRG is designed to run alongside the Timms PIP Review Steering Group, to help ensure the concerns of people living with Parkinson’s are reflected in the final review. 

We’ve asked the minister to share the Steering Group’s agenda and meeting dates so that we can align our discussions with their schedule. 

Briefing MPs

We’ve also been briefing MPs about PIP and how it could be improved for people with Parkinson’s. We’ve encouraged them to meet with their constituents to better understand their concerns, and to raise these directly with the minister. 

Juliet Tizzard, Director of External Relations at Parkinson’s UK said: “It’s essential that the Timms review steering group includes people with lived experience of PIP assessments, so we’re pleased to see that. But we’re concerned that no one living with a fluctuating condition like Parkinson's is represented. 

“People with Parkinson’s are 10% more likely to be wrongly assessed for PIP than people with any other condition. They urgently need change and their voices must be heard. 

The review must focus on making the PIP process fairer and we’re ready to work with Sir Stephen and the steering group to help achieve this.”

We’ll continue to share updates as the Timms Review progresses.