Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of wait time is for appeals against a work capability assessment decision in the latest period for which data is available.

The median clearance time for Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment (WCA) appeals completed in the period January – March 2022 was 108 calendar days.

The clearance time is the difference between the dates an appeal is lodged and its clearance, as recorded as occurring on DWP computer systems. Appeal clearance events may include a tribunal hearing decision, the appeal being lapsed (where DWP change the decision in favour of the claimant after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at tribunal) or the appeal being withdrawn or struck out.

This information is based on data taken from DWP computer system’s management information. Therefore this data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

There are currently no Official Statistics on number and outcomes of Work Capability Assessments for Universal Credit, and no plans to publish at this time.