Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken for Access to Work on disabled people unable to (a) start and (b) sustain employment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

The Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff are allocated to processing Access to Work applications; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that number.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The current number of case managers allocated to processing Access to Work applications is 307.7 full-time equivalent (FTE).

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

The Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) reducing and (b) reforming the Access to Work budget on the disability employment gap.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

The Green Paper launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work which has now concluded. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Access to Work applications are processed within a reasonable timeframe.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised.

The Green Paper launched a consultation which has now concluded. We are considering responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work decisions are overturned following mandatory reconsideration or appeal.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

If an individual is unhappy with the outcome of their Access to Work assessment they can request that their award be reviewed by a different Access to Work case manager. This is an internal process, known as a reconsideration.

In 2024/25, the Department received 1,378 AtW reconsideration requests. Of these, 953 had a decision recorded, and 188 resulted in the original decision being partially or fully overturned.

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of applicants for Access to Work wait longer than the target timeframe for (a) decisions and (b) payments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department publishes official statistics on approvals, expenditure, and customer volumes. However, it does not publish processing times for decisions or payments.

Official statistics on approvals and payments are published annually and can be accessed here: Access to Work statistics - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department will explore making Access to Work awards portable between jobs.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Customers with an existing Access to Work (AtW) grant must make a new application if they have a new job. This is because the support needed in the new job must be assessed, along with contacting the new employer, who has responsibilities for providing reasonable adjustments. The employer must also understand their role in approving the customer's claims for support used from their AtW grant and and purchasing any equipment a customer cannot transfer from their previous job.

Applications from customers starting a new job are prioritised for allocation to a Case Manager – the customer needs to submit their application before they start their new job – they can apply up to 12 weeks before the start date of the new job.

Customers can use a Health Adjustment Passport to help inform their new employer of the support they have had in past jobs, such as reasonable adjustments they have had and support funded by AtW. A customer can share the passport with the AtW Case Manager allocated to their case and where appropriate this would negate the need for a new workplace assessment.

In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of AtW and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are reviewing all aspects of AtW as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.