A huge 220,000 people have had their Personal Independence Payments (PIP) taken away from them by the DWP following an assessment of their circumstances. Officials took a tough stance when reviewing the payments of a huge number of people and whether they should be allowed to continue.

Details were revealed after the DWP released data around 'review outcomes' over the five-year period between February 2019 and January 2024. This is when people who receive PIP have their circumstances reassessed to see whether they should still receive the support payments.

People can receive PIP if they struggle to complete certain daily tasks because of a medical condition. How much they receive depends on the severity of their condition and how much it impacts their life.

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At certain times, the DWP carries out assessments to see if people's conditions have improved. This could mean, as far as they are concerned, they no longer require PIP. The assessments can happen if a claimant notifies the DWP of a change of circumstances automatically at the end of a period set when they were first awarded the payments.

This can understandably be an uncertain period for people anxious their support could be stopped. One in five of all of these reviews - 20% - saw PIP stopped because they no longer met the requirements deemed necessary by the DWP.

In the majority of cases - 52% - the payments stayed the same, while the amount was increased in 19% of cases. In another 8%, the person was allowed to keep PIP but at a reduced rate.

It comes as the DWP revealed it had been dealing with "unprecedented" demand for support. Reasons for this could include increased awareness of PIP and an ageing population.

The DWP explained: "Awards may be reviewed either when a claimant reports a change of circumstances, or at the end of their review period as set when the original award was made. During a review of an award, the award level is assessed and may be changed (which can happen with or without the case first being referred to an Assessment Provider)."