Employment and Support Allowance
(asked on 13th March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, of the new style Employment and Support Allowance applications granted in (1) 2023, (2) 2024, and (3) 2025, how many were in the support group for (a) poor mental health as the primary condition, and (b) for any other reason.
Initial Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) by date of decision and group allocation being Support Group (SG):
ICD10 Medical Condition | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 | Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 | Jan 2025 - Sept 2025* | |||
| Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage | Volume | Percentage |
Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00 - F99) | 11,520 | 21% | 11,710 | 23% | 7,060 | 21% |
All Other ICD10 Medical Conditions | 42,460 | 79% | 39,850 | 77% | 26,390 | 79% |
Total | 53,980 | 100% | 51,560 | 100% | 33,450 | 100% |
* Data is taken from Stat-Xplore. Volumes have been rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding and the disclosure control applied.
* New Style ESA ‘applications’ and Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) are distinct processes, and SG assignment is determined only once a WCA has been completed. Not all applications proceed to a WCA, and the primary health condition as per the International Classification of Diseases (2010) classification (ICD10) used in official statistics is captured at the WCA rather than on the application form. As a result, the only robust data source for SG outcomes by primary health condition is WCA data.
* The latest available data is for September 2025. Therefore, the 2025 volumes do not cover the entire year and are not comparable to the 2023 or 2024 volumes.
* ESA Group Allocation refers to the result of the WCA decision that been adjusted for appeal outcome. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or appeal tribunal's decision or the recommendation made by the Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available.
* ICD Group refers to the World Health Organisations' International Classification of Diseases (2010) Condition Groups. In DWP statistics, these are sometimes referred to as medical conditions. For reporting purposes, the conditions as recorded on the Employment Support Allowance Benefit system have been mapped to reflect as closely as possible the appropriate ICD10 code. Conditions are based on evidence provided at the start of the claim, this in itself does not confer entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance and may not represent a claimant's most recent medical condition. Where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is reported on in these statistics.