Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work placements have been (a) delayed or (b) cancelled due to delays in processing Access to Work applications in the past 12 months.

We are committed to reducing the time taken to process Access to Work applications and are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work applications. We prioritise applications from customers who are about to start a job or are renewing existing support.

The Department does not hold data on how many work placements may have been (a) delayed or (b) cancelled due to delays in processing Access to Work applications in the past 12 months.