Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the waiting time for applications to the Access to Work scheme to be responded to.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Statement on the Access to Work Backlog (HCWS34) made on 19 May 2026.

This Government inherited a substantial backlog of around 57,000 Access to Work cases awaiting a decision beyond the expected timescales.

In our manifesto, we committed to clearing this backlog and we have made significant progress towards that commitment. We have increased the number of staff working on Access to Work by around 30% (from 500 in March 2024 to 657 in March 2026) and continued to prioritise applications where a customer is due to start work within four weeks. As a result, we have eliminated delays in making payments and cleared around 96% of cases where a customer was due to start work within four weeks in 28 days.

Building on this progress, earlier this year we announced a clear plan of action to clear the backlog in applications by September 2027. As part of that plan, in September we have started recruiting an additional 480 case staff to process the higher volume of applications. When recruitment is complete, we will have more than twice as many staff working on Access to Work as there were in March 2024. The first cohorts of new case managers and case workers have begun comprehensive training and will shortly enter a supported consolidation period, helping to build the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to deliver high-quality decision making.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the CQC on unpublished reports; and how decisions not to publish reports are communicated to a) healthcare providers and b) the public.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC's) target for publishing assessment reports is 50 working days for adult social care, primary and community care, and oral health assessments, and 85 working days for more complex secondary care and mental health assessments. As of 12 October 2026, the CQC was meeting both targets.

The CQC is currently considering how decisions not to publish reports can be better and more consistently communicated to providers and the public, and it will update their arrangements in those cases in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the timeliness of the CQC's publication of reports following inspections.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC's) target for publishing assessment reports is 50 working days for adult social care, primary and community care, and oral health assessments, and 85 working days for more complex secondary care and mental health assessments. As of 12 October 2026, the CQC was meeting both targets.

The CQC is currently considering how decisions not to publish reports can be better and more consistently communicated to providers and the public, and it will update their arrangements in those cases in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average waiting time for a response to applications to the Access to Work scheme in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

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

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting time for Access to Work scheme applications in line with his Department's 25 working day standard.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

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

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2026 to question 3784, what progress her Department has made on the development of a structured approach to performance management, including the evidence informing its development, the timescale for implementation and how teachers and trade unions are being consulted.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Performance management of school teachers is the responsibility of the employers of teachers, including schools, Trusts and local authorities. It is vital that they have effective and proportionate performance management processes in place that recognise, encourage and validate a teacher’s commitment to professional development, pedagogical excellence and effective performance.

To support employers, the department undertook a review of performance management and produced updated guidance in 2024, working in partnership with schools and key stakeholders, including trade unions.

The updated guidance is intended to better support effective appraisals and how schools tackle underperformance, encouraging schools to take more direct action sooner and to prevent issues escalating while also reinforcing schools’ obligations to ensure processes are robust and fair.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will consider the potential merits of introducing interim support for applicants to the Access to Work scheme who are awaiting a decision.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Access to Work Scheme provides a personalised grant which considers individual customer’s needs and circumstances and is not a benefit, so interim financial support is not available through the scheme. Interim support whilst customers are awaiting an award decision is not currently an option with Access to Work given the highly personalised nature of the grant, alongside significant potential misuse and fraud risks that would come from granting interim support without fully reviewing a customer’s circumstances.

We prioritise the applications of those starting work within 4 weeks. Although there are no interim support measures for applicants awaiting a decision, both new applications and renewals can be backdated under the correct circumstances.

The Department is making improvements to the Access to Work scheme to do a better job in helping disabled people start and stay in work. To manage these improvements, we have engaged in extensive discussion with stakeholders to make sure the needs of customers are met.

The announcement on 19 May of a plan to recruit an additional 480 case staff reflected our commitment to deliver an AtW that is timely, efficient, and can meet new levels of demand. It will help to restore confidence in the capability of the Scheme to award the right support at the right time and sets a pathway towards further improvements. We plan to eliminate the current backlog by September 2027.

Found: Department for Education The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP Secretary of State for Education Helen Hayes

Found: Chair – Professor Edward Peck CBE Chief executives – Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne Helen Hayes

Found: Chair – Professor Edward Peck CBE Chief Executives – Ruth Hannant CB and Polly Payne CB MP Helen Hayes

Found: _1 Jess Asato Helen Hayes Rachael Maskell Dr Simon Opher Ruth Jones Mrs Sharon Hodgson Dr Peter PrinsleyDr

Found: Not called_1 Jess Asato Helen Hayes Rachael Maskell Dr Simon Opher Ruth Jones Mrs Sharon Hodgson Dr Peter

The Committee is exploring how the education system should adapt to prepare young people to be active and informed citizens in preparation for the introduction of votes at 16. This includes the role of schools and colleges in supporting pupils to engage with challenging political issues, and in tackling misinformation and disinformation, whilst ensuring impartiality and avoiding bias.