Work Capability Assessment
(asked on 21st January 2021) - View Source
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time from submission to payment of claims was in each of the last 12 months for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment support allowance and (c) disablement pension in (i) Lewisham Deptford, (ii) London and (iii) the UK where a face-to-face health and disability assessment is required.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 141531.
The Department publishes Personal Independence Payment assessment data online which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics?_sm_byp=iVVWb5570W4jkbMj#content
The PIP clearance times are available to October 2020 and can be focused down to region level. Any further geographical breakdowns are not available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.
The Department publishes Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) data online which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-january-2021.
The ESA clearance times are available to June 2020 at a national level only. The clearance times are only currently available to March 2020, but can be focused down to region and local authority level. Any further geographical breakdowns are not available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.
The question enquires into ‘disablement pension’, we have understood that to refer to the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) which this Department administers. The Department publishes quarterly statistics on claims and assessments under IIDB scheme in Great Britain here:
The latest claims information is to March 2020, with the lowest geographical level available of Region. Statistics to June 2020 will be published on 23 February 2021
Further geographical breakdowns and average clearance times are not readily available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.