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 the three month relevant period for LCWRA on applications; and what the reason for that period is.

The LCWRA element will be paid from the start of the Assessment Period following the Assessment Period in which the ‘relevant period’ ended. This replicates the 13-week assessment period applied to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims and is used to establish that the customer has a long-term health condition or disability.

Throughout the period before the award of the LCWRA addition, claimants will receive the applicable standard allowance plus any eligible additions, such as housing costs.