Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) supporting a person via the Access to Work programme and (b) paying out-of-work benefits to that person.

Access to Work covers a wide range of different types of support and the costs of this support vary considerably according to customers' needs and circumstances.

The cost of paying out-of-work benefits to a given person would vary considerably according to that person's eligibility for and take-up of those benefits. This depends in turn on their individual circumstances and preferences.