Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current mean time is for a claimant to apply, be assessed and receive their first ESA payment.

The latest available information on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) clearance times can be found in table 18 of the ESA Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment