To ask the Minister for Communities what steps her Department is taking to address the backlog of personal independence payment claims; and what measures are in place to make sure that no one has their money stopped due to the backlog.

Despite the challenges arising from the pandemic, there is no backlog in processing new claims to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The most recent PIP statistics, published on 24 February 2021 and covering up to 30 November 2020, show that the average clearance time taken to process a PIP is 13 weeks, which is similar to the time taken prior to the pandemic

The period of 13 weeks, includes the time taken for a claimant to return their Part 2 'How your disability affects you' form. Claimants are given up to 6 weeks to complete this form, or longer if additional time is requested.

When PIP reviews were restarted back in July last year I extended all existing PIP awards by 9 Months as an additional safeguard due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. This allows additional time for reviews to be completed without the risk of PIP payments ending.

We are committed to providing all the support and help people need in these very difficult times.