I refer my Hon. Friend to the statement made on 19 May 2026.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12 October 2026 to PQ 29470.

No assessment is currently available.

While the Department’s permitted expenses framework is designed to align, wherever feasible, with the approach taken by HMRC, the tax and welfare systems serve different purposes and operate under different legislative frameworks so complete alignment is not always possible. The Department does routinely keep its policies under review.

The Timms Review shared a set of emerging recommendations on 9th September. These are not final recommendations of the Review. The steering group developed them using the evidence they have heard so far from D/deaf and disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, organisations and subject experts.

The steering group is now testing and refining these emerging recommendations through shaping recommendations workshops taking place across the UK in September and October.

The review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with its final recommendations in autumn 2026.

The Timms Review shared a set of emerging recommendations on 9th September. These are not final recommendations of the Review. The steering group developed them using the evidence they have heard so far from D/deaf and disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, organisations and subject experts.

The steering group is now testing and refining these emerging recommendations through shaping recommendations workshops taking place across the UK in September and October.

The review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with its final recommendations in autumn 2026.

The Timms Review shared a set of emerging recommendations on 9th September. These are not final recommendations of the Review. The steering group developed them using the evidence they have heard so far from D/deaf and disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, organisations and subject experts.

The steering group is now testing and refining these emerging recommendations through shaping recommendations workshops taking place across the UK in September and October.

The review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with its final recommendations in autumn 2026.

The Government is committed to tackling poverty and supporting people to achieve financial independence. The benefit cap supports the fundamental principle that work is the best route out of poverty by encouraging those who can work to move into and progress in work, while protecting those for whom work is not possible.

In addition, the Government is tackling cost of living pressures facing families. In Wales, this includes targeted measures such as raising the minimum wage and removing the two child limit in Universal Credit. Discretionary Housing Payments may also be available to households in Wales that are subject to the cap and need additional support with their housing costs.

The department publishes monthly official statistics on the number of households in Great Britain receiving Housing Benefit (HB) or Universal Credit (UC) which are affected by the benefit cap. The statistics are currently available to May 2026 in the HB Point in Time Caseload and the UC Point in Time Caseload datasets on Stat-Xplore. These statistics can be broken down by country and Family Type.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information.

The number of households receiving the Universal Credit (UC) Housing Element or Housing Benefit, who are subject to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), is available on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). ‘Households on Universal Credit’ and ‘Housing Benefit – Data from April 2018’ would be the datasets of interest, and filters can be applied to show information for Wales and households with children only.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest, and if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Connect to Work is a voluntary programme. Participation in the programme does not automatically trigger a reassessment of disability benefits. As with all employment support programmes, where a participant moves into employment, there may be an impact on benefit entitlement, depending on their earnings and individual circumstances. Specialist Connect to Work employment advisers help participants understand any potential impact before taking up employment.

The Government wants disabled people and people with health conditions to have confidence that exploring or taking up work will not, in itself, lead to a reassessment of their benefits. The Right to Try regulations, which came into force on 30 April 2026, establish in law that starting paid or voluntary work alone will not trigger a Work Capability Assessment reassessment or a PIP award review. This protection is intended to remove uncertainty and give disabled people and people with health conditions greater confidence to try work while receiving benefits.

DWP recognises that while customers greatly value the support provided by the Access to Work scheme, they also have concerns about the scheme’s timeliness, consistency and appreciation of the complex barriers faced by people with disabilities in a modern workplace. The Department is addressing these points in order to deliver an improved scheme that will better help disabled people start and stay in work.

Efforts undertaken by the Department to achieve this include the recruitment of 480 additional staff to help reduce the Access to Work backlog by September 2027. These members of staff will receive extensive training to support them to handle complex applications. In addition, the Department is continuing to engage with a range of stakeholders to develop a richer understanding of the challenges disabled people face. The feedback from this engagement will be used to shape improvements to the scheme that better reflect the current needs of customers. Any improvements to Access to Work will be announced in advance of their implementation.

The Department does not hold information on the average processing time for Access to Work applications from self-employed customers. Access to Work management information does not differentiate by employment status once applications have been allocated to a Case Manager and average processing times for self-employed customers are therefore not available.

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.

The table below shows the Average Time to Answer for all calls to Access To Work services in an hours, minutes and seconds format (hh:mm:ss), itemised by Reporting Year. Please be aware that we DO NOT hold data for the 2015-2016 reporting year.

*Please note, that the current 2026 – 2027* reporting year, shows data up to and including 13/09/2026 only.

Disclaimer

The above answer contains unpublished figures.

The data provided is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.

As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

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.

Access to Work is an important programme that supports many people and reform in this area is complex. We are committed to ensuring the system remains fair, and sustainable and changes must be carefully designed to ensure they deliver real improvements and this work takes time, but it is important we get it right.

We have taken the time needed to consult widely, collaborate, and gather evidence from disabled people, employers, and representative bodies. We are continuing to refine policy options, and ministers will announce next steps when the policy, evidence, and delivery plans are fully developed.

In December 2024, a Lead Minister for Disability was appointed in every government department, including the Department of Health and Social Care, to represent the interests of disabled people and champion disability inclusion and accessibility across their department, as they drive forward progress on the government’s manifesto commitments. The Lead Ministers for Disability have met regularly as a group to discuss improving outcomes for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.

The Health and Growth Accelerators programme has been established to test the effectiveness of health interventions across three systems- South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and North East and North Cumbria- in supporting people back to work or keeping them in work. The programme supports people with common conditions including musculoskeletal, mental health, and metabolic conditions, with early results indicating improved health and employment outcomes. Integrated working and local partnerships are key success factors: a multidisciplinary team nationally across DWP, DHSC and NHSE and locally across Integrated Care Boards and MCAs successfully co-design and deliver the programme as one team.

The Access to Work online service has been designed to enable customers to manage their claims securely following identity verification using GOV.UK One Login. At present, the service does not support appointees accessing or submitting claims on behalf of customers. This is because the current service relies on individual identity verification to protect customers' personal information and maintain the security and integrity of the claims process, using GOV.UK One Login.

DWP is committed to ensuring Access to Work services are accessible to all customers. Customers can apply for Access to Work support and renew existing awards through the online service, which has been developed in line with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

Recognising that some customers may be unable to use the online service, alternative channels remain available. Customers can contact Access to Work by telephone and, for those who are unable to hear or speak on the phone, Relay UK is available as an alternative communication route.

The Department keeps its services under review and is committed to meeting accessibility and reasonable adjustment requirements that are considered as part of the design and delivery of Access to Work services.

Digital work is currently planned to commence during the second half of financial year 2027-28 to explore the barriers preventing appointees from accessing the online service and to identify potential options for enabling appointee access in the future, while maintaining appropriate security and identity assurance standards.

The Access to Work online service has been designed to enable customers to manage their claims securely following identity verification using GOV.UK One Login. At present, the service does not support appointees accessing or submitting claims on behalf of customers. This is because the current service relies on individual identity verification to protect customers' personal information and maintain the security and integrity of the claims process, using GOV.UK One Login.

DWP is committed to ensuring Access to Work services are accessible to all customers. Customers can apply for Access to Work support and renew existing awards through the online service, which has been developed in line with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

Recognising that some customers may be unable to use the online service, alternative channels remain available. Customers can contact Access to Work by telephone and, for those who are unable to hear or speak on the phone, Relay UK is available as an alternative communication route.

The Department keeps its services under review and is committed to meeting accessibility and reasonable adjustment requirements that are considered as part of the design and delivery of Access to Work services.

Digital work is currently planned to commence during the second half of financial year 2027-28 to explore the barriers preventing appointees from accessing the online service and to identify potential options for enabling appointee access in the future, while maintaining appropriate security and identity assurance standards.

The Access to Work online service has been designed to enable customers to manage their claims securely following identity verification using GOV.UK One Login. At present, the service does not support appointees accessing or submitting claims on behalf of customers. This is because the current service relies on individual identity verification to protect customers' personal information and maintain the security and integrity of the claims process, using GOV.UK One Login.

DWP is committed to ensuring Access to Work services are accessible to all customers. Customers can apply for Access to Work support and renew existing awards through the online service, which has been developed in line with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and is fully compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

Recognising that some customers may be unable to use the online service, alternative channels remain available. Customers can contact Access to Work by telephone and, for those who are unable to hear or speak on the phone, Relay UK is available as an alternative communication route.

The Department keeps its services under review and is committed to meeting accessibility and reasonable adjustment requirements that are considered as part of the design and delivery of Access to Work services.

Digital work is currently planned to commence during the second half of financial year 2027-28 to explore the barriers preventing appointees from accessing the online service and to identify potential options for enabling appointee access in the future, while maintaining appropriate security and identity assurance standards.

Information on the number of claimants with a higher rate mobility component for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and enhanced rate mobility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in 2015 and 2025, can be found on Stat Xplore.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.

In March, the Office for Budget Responsibility published its official forecast, predicting that at the end of the current Parliament, in 2029-30, UK welfare spending will be about £390 billion. The OBR will update that forecast in the Budget, which will take place on Wednesday fortnight.