The North Antrim MLA was speaking following the closure of a public consultation on plans to change the assessment and administration of PIP from the Department for Work and Pensions. The proposals include making eligibility for PIP wholly dependent on a medical diagnosis and replacing monthly payments with vouchers.

Ms Mulholland said that the proposals would make it harder for sick and disabled people to access the support they need and rob them of choice in how they use their PIP payments.

“Alliance has long-standing concerns about the PIP system and the enormous distress it causes for many claimants. These latest proposals would undoubtedly risk making a bad system even worse,” she said.

“In our response to the public consultation, we sent a very clear message that the Tory proposals would create more barriers to disabled people getting the support they need and deny them choice in using PIP payments in whatever way is best for their individual circumstances. 

“Any ideas to reform PIP should be aimed at making the system more accessible and flexible for claimants, but these proposals would have the opposite effect, particularly when our health service is under so much strain and so many people face long waits for a formal diagnosis of their condition.

“Numerous reviews and public investigations in Northern Ireland have helped improve the PIP system, but there is still a lot of work to do to ensure all claimants are treated with dignity and receive the support they are entitled to. The new government in Westminster has a unique opportunity to reset the way disabled people are treated when they need benefits support and ditching these punitive proposals would be a good starting point.”