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 cost to the public purse of employment support allowance back-payments owed to claimants.

Latest published forecasts of arrears owed to ESA claimants underpaid on conversion from Incapacity Benefit are available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking

The most recent published information on arrears already paid to claimants affected by underpayments on conversion from Incapacity Benefit is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-underpayments-forecast-numbers-affected-forecast-expenditure-and-progress-on-checking/may-2019-esa-underpayments-progress-on-checking