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Written question asked by Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 14 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 October 2026. It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Monday, 12 October 2026 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Access to Work Programme

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what was the average wait time for a decision to be made following an application for Access to Work each year between 2015-2026.

Answer

The average wait time for a decision following an Access to Work application was:

2021/22: 28.3 days

2022/23: 57.8 days

2023/24: 45.1 days

2024/25: 67.1 days

2025/26: 100.9 days

Comparable data prior to 2021/22 is not available.

Please note that this data is derived from unpublished management information collected for internal use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standards.

Since the start of the 2026/27 operational year, Access to Work has made positive progress in reducing outstanding work. As of 1 October 2026, using the full reporting period from April to August 2026, we have achieved a net backlog reduction of almost 3,000 cases, specifically 2,980. With recruits now arriving and needing to be coached and trained for the next six months, we expect the backlog to stabilise before falling in the spring of 2027.

Overall, the programme remains on track, and our assessment is that Access to Work continues to be on course to clear the backlog by September 2027.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
29470
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Access to work programme
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk