Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to communicate delays to Access to Work (a) new applications and (b) renewals to scheme users to allow them to find support in the interim.

DWP notifies customers who are applying to Access to Work, or applying to renew their existing award, of the likely wait time for contact to be made to them by an Access to Work team member. This information is presented to the customer when they submit their application online or via telephone. It is also sent to the customer by e-mail or SMS message, depending on the contact details held.

DWP also shares relevant information on application timelines with stakeholder groups for them to communicate to the people they represent or work with.