Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is between submitting an application for Access to Work Plus and (a) an in-person assessment, (b) a funding decision and (c) payment.

Access to Work Plus applications are prioritised and pulled from the standard Access to Work application queue. The average clearance time for Access to Work applications which include Access to Work Plus is 25-days. Once requested an enhanced Access to Work Plus assessment is expected to be returned within 12 days. The Access to Work payment average clearance time is 10-days, this includes Access to Work Plus, providing all the information has been submitted, the same as for standard Access to Work.

Clearance times are currently taking longer due to the increasing demand for Access to Work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work and have streamlined delivery practices and increased the number of staff processing applications and claims.