Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of the legal fees incurred in the judicial review of the work capability assessment consultation.

Judgment was handed down in the Work Capability Assessment (WCA): Activities and Descriptors consultation Judicial Review on 16 January 2025.

DWP’s litigation costs between 1 November 2023 and 21 January 2025 were £211,345.42.

DWP has been ordered to pay the Claimant’s reasonable costs of the claim. The DWP will endeavour to agree those reasonable costs with the Claimant following the standard legal process where necessary. The DWP has been ordered to pay £254,458.63 as a payment on account of the Claimant’s costs representing 60% of an estimate of the costs she has incurred in bringing this claim.