Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 655W, on employment and support allowance: work capability assessment, what the average wait was for an employment and support allowance applicant between completing the ESA 50 questionnaire and undergoing the work capability assessment in the most recent year for which data are available.

The average time from receipt of an ESA50 to the completion of face to face work capability assessment (for both Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment), for the period from January 2014 to September 2014, was 102 working days.

Maximus Health and Human Services Ltd. has been awarded the contract to succeed Atos Healthcare from March 2015, to undertake Work Capability Assessments. The priority for MAXIMUS Health and Human Services Ltd will be to transition the service smoothly from the current provider, stabilise the operation to deliver the best service possible for claimants, increase the volume of assessments carried out and reduce waiting times without compromising quality.

We are continuing to work closely with Atos under the current contract and process claims as quickly as possible.