Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, following the Pathways to Work consultation and collaboration committee engagement, when the his Department expects to publish its plans for the future of the Access to Work scheme.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Access to Work (AtW) is an important programme that supports thousands of people to remain in work, and whilst we acknowledge the scheme needs improvements, change in this area is complex and we are committed to getting it right.

We are keen to ensure the system remains fair, and sustainable and changes must be carefully designed to ensure they deliver real improvements. We are continuing to refine policy options, and we will announce next steps when the policy, evidence, and delivery plans are developed.

We have already begun taking steps to improve the scheme, committing to recruiting and training an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications, to join the 658 staff already working on Access to Work. Recruitment has already begun, and new case managers will receive extensive training to handle complex applications with confidence.

The announcement delivered on 19 May set out our commitment to deliver an AtW that is timely, efficient, and can meet new levels of demand. It will help to restore confidence in the capability of the Scheme to award the right support at the right time and sets a pathway towards further improvements.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care about ensuring that people with arthritis are signposted to employment support at the point of diagnosis.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the joint work and health directorate the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Health and Social Care work collaboratively together to support people who are managing health conditions, helping them to get into, stay, and thrive in work.

The government recognises that musculoskeletal (MSK) problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in 2025, whereby an estimated 27.3 million days were lost as a result of them.

The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including arthritis and MSK conditions, at all points of their employment journey. We therefore have a range of initiatives available, including support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, to more specialised locally commissioned and delivered support such as WorkWell.

We are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to reduce community MSK waiting lists and transform community services to support people with MSK conditions to get into and remain in employment.

People with MSK conditions can get access to support from WorkWell which provides integrated holistic early help for people with health-related barriers to work, such as arthritis and MSK conditions. WorkWell will be expanded to delivery across all of England backed by up to £259m over the next three years.

WorkWell is led by Integrated Care Boards and accepts participants from a range of sources including local health services which can allow for signposting at the point of diagnosis. Participants receive a range of support based on their needs and can include advice on workplace adjustments, access to physio services and employer liaison. Over one fifth of all WorkWell participants during the pilot phase (22%) consider their primary health barrier to be MSK related.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conversations he has had with employers regarding the timeliness of notifications of changes in employees’ Access to Work awards.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

Access to Work continues to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start and stay in work, and the Department recognises increased demand has contributed to delays. In response to the increased demand, DWP has increased resourcing to support with reducing the backlog by September 2027 and is considering further improvements to the scheme.

DWP is improving the Access to Work service to ensure it remains focussed on providing timely and effective support, including how customers are notified when support changes or comes to an end. Decisions on awards are issued in writing and set out the support agreed and the period of the award. Customers who disagree with a decision can ask for it to be looked at again. The Department is continuing to improve the service so that it better supports disabled people to start and stay in work.

DWP has not had any specific conversations with employers about the timeliness of notifications to changes in employees’ Access to Work awards. However, the Department continues to engage with employers and other stakeholders about Access to Work as part of ongoing outreach work to improve the service.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress the Department has made towards launching the pilot phase of the Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department remains on track to meet the milestones set out in the Disability Confident Reform Delivery Plan published on 15 January 2026. Products for piloting are in the final stages of preparation, with testing due to commence this month.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient staffing for NHS rheumatology services, including provision of multidisciplinary services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will put the National Health Service workforce on a sustainable footing so it can deliver the service model set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, and we expect integrated care boards to arrange services to meet both this target and interim targets set out in planning guidance.

In March 2026, 70.4% of patients referred on rheumatology pathways were waiting within 18 weeks, exceeding our overall aim of 65%. This is a significant improvement on March 2025, when 65.9% of patients were waiting within 18 weeks.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made any assessment of the adequacy of current timelines regarding the notification of a) the withdrawal of or b) changes to an individual’s Access to Work award.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

When Access to Work (AtW) customers are notified, in writing, at the outset of their award we explain the support offer and provide a defined award length, of up to 3 years. Customers who receive on-going support are invited to renew their award. This is done 12 weeks before it is due to end.

On receipt of a renewal application Customers support requirements are reassessed in line with AtW Policy, to determine a new award and length. This may mean that some renewed awards may be different to previous the one.

We are currently processing renewal applications as received, with decision outcomes made within 4 weeks and customers are notified immediately, in line with the 25-working day target. Decisions on Access to Work awards are issued in writing and set out the support agreed and the period of the award. Where an award is changed or withdrawn, customers are notified of the decision and the reasons for it.

Our assessment is that, both the timescale for customers to seek a renewal award and the time to process this request are adequate.

We are committed to ensuring customers receive timely support. Applications from those due to start work within four weeks, as well as renewals for existing grants, are prioritised to minimise disruption and support people to remain in employment. Feedback from customers continues to inform improvements, helping to ensure the scheme reflects the realities of the modern workplace.

As set out in the Department’s press release of 19 May 2026, we are recruiting nearly 500 additional staff, supported by extensive training, to further enhance delivery. These measures will strengthen processing times and support plans to clear the backlog by September 2027.

We continue to engage closely with stakeholders to understand the evolving needs of disabled people. This engagement is shaping improvements to ensure Access to Work remains a responsive and effective scheme, supporting more people to start and stay in work.

Richard Pengelly

Found: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative; Gosport) (Chair) Mr Bayo Alaba (Labour; Southend East and Rochford) Vicky Foxcroft

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian

Found: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative; Gosport) (Chair) Mr Bayo Alaba (Labour; Southend East and Rochford) Vicky Foxcroft

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian

Found: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative; Gosport) (Chair) Mr Bayo Alaba (Labour; Southend East and Rochford) Vicky Foxcroft

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian

Found: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative; Gosport) (Chair) Mr Bayo Alaba (Labour; Southend East and Rochford) Vicky Foxcroft

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian

Found: Q264 Vicky Foxcroft: Fantastic.

Found: Vicky Foxcroft: Fantastic.

Found: Q264 Vicky Foxcroft: Fantastic.

Found: Vicky Foxcroft: Fantastic.