Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many letters have been sent from her Department in the last 12 months that ask GPs to no longer provide their patients who claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) with fit notes, as they have been found fit for work by the DWP.

We have taken your question to refer to the ESA65B letter which is normally automatically issued to GPs by the Department’s IT system in every case where an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimant has been found ‘fit for work’ following a Work Capability Assessment (WCA).

If a claimant states that they do not agree to information about the determination of their WCA being shared with their GP, the claim will be maintained clerically and the papers noted that the letter is not to be issued.

A revised version of the ESA65B letter went live in June 2019. The revised letter states the circumstances in which fit notes are required including to support Employment and Support Allowance appeals, where a claimant’s condition has worsened or if the claimant has developed a new health condition or disability.

The Department does not hold information on the number of ESA65B letters sent to GPs.

The latest ESA statistics, which show the number of claimants found fit for work, can be found here: ESA: Work Capability Assessments, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals: March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)