How a rise in ADHD benefits claims is adding to Andy Burnham's welfare challenge

How a rise in ADHD benefits claims is adding to Andy Burnham's welfare challengeByBen ChuPolicy and Analysis correspondent, BBC VerifyPublished7 minutes agoAndy Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister in a matter of weeks, has said he wants to get the UK's benefits bill down by encouraging more people into work.The total bill for working age sickness and disability benefits has been increasing rapidly since 2020. It currently stands at £58bn and has been projected to rise to £78bn by 2030, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).More than 100,000 people with ADHD as their main condition now receive Personal Independent Payments (Pip), the latest government figures show, an increase of 40% in these cases since Labour came to power two years ago.It comes as an interim report by Sir Stephen Timms into Pip is expected to outline the need for sweeping reforms to the benefit system.BBC Verify has been looking into the official figures around Pip claims and the wider numbers on the working-age welfare bill.What's happening to Pip claims?Pip is the working age benefit which helps individuals deal with the extra costs of having a physical or mental health condition or disability.It was introduced in 2013, external as a replacement for Disability Living Allowance (DLA).You do not have to be out of work to claim Pip and it does not come with requirements to seek work.People currently receive, external between £1,580 and £10,120 per year depending on the severity of their condition.Official figures show total Pip claims in England and Wales now stand at 4 million, up from 3.6 million when Labour took power, an increase of around 400,000.The overall rise in claimants continues an earlier upward trend that was clear under the previous Conservative government.A growing share of new Pip claims, external since the 2020 pandemic have been related to mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions, with the share of total claims related to ADHD,...