WP slams DWP on holiday reporting rules for PIP claimants
by Tony Dorrian
A Punitive, Authoritarian Approach to Welfare
The Workers Party condemns in the strongest terms the Department for Work and Pensions' latest policy requiring Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claimants to report any travel abroad, even for holidays, or face financial penalties.
This is not simply a bureaucratic measure-it is a clear example of a punitive, authoritarian approach to welfare that treats those in need not with support and dignity, but with suspicion and control.
The Workers Party believes this latest move is part of a wider ideological project that seeks to stigmatise and criminalise the working class and disabled people under the guise of ‘safeguarding public money’. It is the continuation of a deeply damaging narrative that those in receipt of social security benefits must constantly justify their existence and submit to surveillance to prove they are ‘deserving’ of help.
This is About Control
Let us be clear: PIP is not a luxury. It is a vital support for people living with disabilities or long-term health conditions, helping them cover the additional costs of mobility, care, and independence. To now demand that they notify the DWP of even short overseas trips, for personal wellbeing or family reasons, under threat of sanctions or fines, is a gross intrusion into private life and an affront to basic human dignity.
The Workers Party rejects the framing of this policy as a ‘fraud prevention measure’. The vast majority of claimants are not fraudsters; they are people surviving in difficult circumstances, navigating a system already riddled with barriers, delays, and dehumanising assessments. Targeting them now with yet more red tape is not about integrity—it is about control.
What’s more, this policy disproportionately affects those with mental health conditions and chronic illnesses, who often require time away to manage their health. Instead of building a system based on trust, care and understanding, the government has chosen to deepen a hostile environment for disabled people.
Reversal Demanded
The Workers Party demands an immediate reversal of this policy and a commitment by the UK government and the Stormont Executive to reform the benefits system in the interests of compassion, equity, and justice.
It is not the lives of disabled people that should be scrutinised—it is the political choices that prioritise austerity, surveillance, and scapegoating over investment in people’s wellbeing.
The Workers Party stands firmly with all those impacted by this degrading policy, and we will continue to fight for a social security system that protects, empowers, and uplifts— not one that punishes and divides.
29th July 2025